


No One Can Hurt You Like Someone You Love

by pantswarrior



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Backstory, Case Fic, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Dysfunctional Relationships, M/M, Morality, Murder, Prompt Fic, Request Meme, Romance, Secret Identity, Suicide, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-16
Updated: 2012-05-23
Packaged: 2017-11-05 11:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 78,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/406111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pantswarrior/pseuds/pantswarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In his role as Sky High, Keith presents himself as the perfect hero, with a perfect code of ethics. However, a sudden rash of unusual killings by Lunatic, as well as the growing bond between himself and Judge Petrov as they investigate, raises uncertainty, as the childhood Keith never talks about returns to haunt him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](http://t-and-b-anon.dreamwidth.org/3254.html?thread=3888310&style=mine#cmt3888310) on the fic meme. I didn't really ship it, but the premise was interesting and potentially disastrous enough that I really didn't care. Somewhere along the line... okay, yeah, I ship it now. ;_; At least under twisted circumstances like these.
> 
> As mentioned on the meme itself, there is pretty much no possible way this story could possibly have ended happily for everyone...

The news that Lunatic had killed Albert Maverick, burning him alive while he was en route to the booking facility, had come as a huge shock to the remaining HeroTV alumni. Most had received the call in the morning; some had been contacted just after the incident, in hopes that they might be able to track the vigilante down.

"Blue Rose and I were unsuccessful," Keith reported the next afternoon, when all of them but Kotetsu and Barnaby - the retirement process was already underway - were together at the training center. "Although we searched the area, and searched again, Lunatic was nowhere to be found."

"Not that that's surprising," Karina added. "He's always managed to get away even when one of us was right there beside him. When we get the call to investigate _after_ he's already killed someone and vanished, what chance do we have?"

"Hmmm..." Antonio was resting his chin in his hand thoughtfully, his eyes closed in concentration - but that changed as Nathan's hand slipped down behind him. "Hey - quit it!"

"You know I love a thoughtful man's buns," Nathan declared, withdrawing his hand smoothly. "What're you thinking about?"

"I was thinking... about Barnaby," Antonio murmured, regaining some of his sober demeanor. "Kotetsu and Barnaby have usually been the ones to rein in Lunatic's killing sprees..."

"Since they're retiring, the decision was made not to contact them," Keith explained.

"Kotetsu's injured, besides," Karina pointed out. "Barnaby, well... he might have been too... involved."

"That's what I was thinking about," said Antonio. "Maverick made his life hell, starting when Barnaby was just a child. I wonder - if he'd been asked to stop Lunatic, would he?"

There was silence, for a moment. It seemed that that was a good question.

"Of course he would have," Keith spoke up, when no one else responded. "Killing is never the answer. It's not the hero's way to kill, or to condone killing."

"You say that," Ivan put forth, "but we're all human, underneath our hero suits. If someone hurt you the way that Maverick hurt him, can you really say that you'd try to save their life?"

"Absolutely." Keith was firm on this point.

"I... dunno if I could," Pao-lin admitted. "If someone hurt my family like that..." Her eyes narrowed fiercely. "...A part of me would want to kill them myself. I wouldn't," she added quickly, "but I'd want to."

"Out of the mouth of babes," Nathan mused. "I'll admit, although I believe I'd be able to show some restraint, it would be very tempting to let someone else do the dirty work."

"I'm not saying I would," Antonio agreed, "but I won't pretend I wouldn't think about it." 

Karina nodded. "No one's perfect."

"I don't know," Ivan acknowledged. "No one's ever hurt me the way Maverick hurt Barnaby. I... hope I never have to find out what it's like... to be hurt so badly that you wouldn't mind seeing someone dead." He was acquainted with the other end of that equation, of course; it was no wonder his contribution seemed so hesitant and awkward.

"We are heroes," Keith stated in the silence that followed. "Barnaby is also a hero. I have faith that Barnaby would have done the heroic thing, if he had been called upon."

"You're probably right," Ivan said with a nod. "After all, he's Kotetsu's partner. Kotetsu is just as dedicated to the ideals of heroes as you are."

Antonio chuckled. "I don't think Kotetsu's as perfect in that regard as you think he is. If anything happened to little Kaede, for instance..."

"Family's a special case," Karina agreed.

"I have faith in Kotetsu as well," Keith said firmly. "I have faith in all of you."

Nathan's lips turned upwards in fond amusement. "Sky High, darling, sometimes I think you're just too _good_ to be believed."

"There are certain truths which are constant."

"Constant?"

" _Constant._ " Keith was absolutely sure about this.

Nathan sighed playfully. "Well, hopefully we'll never have to test your goodness. I'm not even sure how someone could get to him," he remarked under his breath to the others. "Lives alone, never talks about immediate family... I guess if someone hurt John - heaven forbid."

The brief wince of painful memory likely passed before anyone spotted it. "I would not permit it," Keith stated.

"See, that's exactly what I mean," Nathan said, patting Keith on the head fondly. "You're an absolute treasure, dear - much too good to be true."

Keith didn't see why that should be the case. They were heroes. Heroes must always do what was right. And killing, or harboring fantasies of killing, was simply not right. Ever. No matter what.

And that was why he vowed, right then and there, that he would pick up where Wild Tiger and Barnaby had left off, and make sure that Lunatic was not allowed to take any more lives, regardless of whether or not those lives belonged to good citizens or criminals. To him, at least, he was sure that it should make no difference.

He was still puzzling over it when he returned home that evening. It troubled him somewhat, to think that his fellow heroes might think that having firm morals as he did was unrealistic. Perhaps for normal people, it was - but they were heroes. They were larger than life. They _had_ to be examples, hold themselves to a high standard.

Such thoughts were interrupted by John, claws clicking on the floor merrily, bounding towards him with tongue and tail wagging as he entered his apartment. "John," Keith murmured fondly, reaching to scratch behind the dog's ears as he jumped up to greet him. John was trained not to act in such a way around strangers, but Keith didn't mind at all if he was jumped up on.

"I guess if someone hurt John - heaven forbid."

John cocked his head curiously as Keith looked into his big brown eyes, the smile fading from Keith's face.

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head firmly, and dropped to his knees beside his companion. "...John," he murmured again.

John let out a concerned whine as Keith wrapped his arms around him, hugging tightly. One advantage Keith had found to owning a larger dog was that he was very good for hugging, filling up Keith's arms in a satisfying manner. Sometimes Keith really just wanted to hug someone.

Someone specific, actually, and a loyal pet was not the same - but he was soft and warm and real and alive.

\---

The bulletin went out in the early evening - an escaped murderer had been spotted in Sternbild. George Clarkson had killed four in a shooting spree crossing state lines a few months before, and just two days before had taken advantage of an accident that happened while he was being transported after sentencing. He had family in Sternbild, and witnesses had seen a man who looked very much like him in the vicinity of his sister's apartment. The heroes were called out, standing by for confirmation...

Confirmation came by way of shots ringing out through the streets. Clarkson was armed, and willing to defend himself when he spotted the police cruiser waiting outside the building. No one was killed, but an officer had been shot in the leg. Clarkson was even willing to take his own sister as a hostage, ensuring safe passage to her car so he could get away.

Clarkson had never spent much time in Sternbild, obviously, if he thought the police were all he had to worry about. A jolt of Dragon Kid's lightning kept him from opening the car door, and a throwing star from Origami Cyclone knocked the gun away long enough for the hostage to escape, though he managed to keep a grip on the pistol as he turned to run. At that point, naturally, the outcome was all but assured, for the heroes were already on the scene.

When they got word that they had company, that too was not unusual. Although he seemed to have been keeping a low profile since killing Maverick weeks before, this was exactly the sort of situation in which they might have expected Lunatic to appear.

Sky High was soaring ahead of Clarkson at the time, preparing to swoop down and cut him off - when he spotted the eerie blue-green glow and the billowing cape ahead. "There!" Keith shouted, pointing. 

Lunatic ignored Sky High, raising his bowgun and aiming at the fleeing fugitive, who remained oblivious to his presence, more concerned with the heroes chasing him. "Sinful one... prepare to receive your justice."

Blue Rose had heard the warning, though; a wall of ice sprung up before Clarkson, cutting off his path _and_ shielding him from Lunatic's flames, at least for the moment. Clarkson skidded to a halt, terrified and clearly not realizing that although he had no chance of escape now, his life had just been saved.

Lunatic also recognized that his chance of succeeding in his mission had just been significantly lowered. Without skipping a beat, he zoomed off over the rooftops, attempting to find a better vantage point to fire from. Keith glanced down at the scene below, and for an instant, he was torn. It would be just as simple to defend against Lunatic from the ground, and he was right above Clarkson now; Blue Rose wasn't far behind, and since Barnaby's retirement, Sky High was back in first place. Blue Rose had been gaining ground on him recently, however, and he could have used the points - particularly if it prevented her from gaining them in his stead.

But he had made a vow to himself, and he did not break his vows. He left Blue Rose to make the arrest and veered off, following Lunatic along the skyline before the setting sun.

It was clear from the first that Lunatic knew he was being followed. Rather than turning back to go after his target, he set himself to fire at his pursuer. Though the power behind Lunatic's blue flame was impressive, Keith managed to turn the winds back strongly enough that they never reached him, and shot off through the still super-heated air. Any of the heroes could arrest a common criminal like Clarkson, but he might be the one with the best chance to bring in Lunatic, and he was going to give it his best shot.

Lunatic wasn't going to go easily, of course. Upon seeing that Sky High was determined to come after him, he turned to counter the incoming strike, the flame gathering around his fist. Sky High was used to maneuvering in the air, and dodged easily, coming back around for another try.

Each second of their battle was filled with ample opportunity for victory or defeat, only to be turned aside at the last instant, and seconds stretched into minutes. Keith ignored the chatter over the airwaves, telling him that they were still broadcasting the conflict live, and focused on his opponent alone. Lunatic was an adversary that required all his attention - more skilled than Keith had expected, he had to admit - and it seemed as though they could have fought forever only to reach a stalemate. He would not give in, however, until Lunatic was in custody.

It was Lunatic who finally turned aside, retreating to a safer distance atop a church steeple. "Why does a hero of justice like yourself turn away from your true prey to pursue me?"

"George Clarkson may be 'prey' to a vigilante like you," Keith replied, hovering just below, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. "But heroes do not think of human beings in such terms. Clarkson is a murderer, and so we must apprehend him. You are also a murderer, and so it is our job to apprehend you as well."

"The man captured tonight was a man of evil intentions, stealing the lives of innocents at random," Lunatic told him. "As an avatar of justice - why do you continue to hinder me?"

"Because killing is never just," Keith stated. "Justice is a matter for the courts to decide."

"The courts are forbidden from dispensing true justice," Lunatic said smoothly. "In a just world, those who take the lives of innocents would have their own taken as recompense."

"In a just world, no innocent lives would be lost," retorted Keith. "Killing those responsible does not bring them back."

"That may be so," Lunatic replied, "but imprisonment is not a fair reward for those who commit such sins as these. As you saw this very day, allowing a murderer to live may cause further loss of life."

"So you seek to prosecute crimes that have not yet been committed?" Keith asked. "No one died today. No one at all, since we prevented you from fulfilling your self-appointed task."

"You useless _heroes_ cannot protect everyone with your weak justice," Lunatic hissed.

"I am well aware of that." Much too aware. He lifted his head defiantly. "But we will protect those we can. That includes those who have taken lives."

"Evil, when encountered, must not be coddled," Lunatic insisted, "but utterly destroyed."

"It is not your decision to make," Keith stated. "And thus we heroes will continue to provide protection."

"I also seek to protect, as well as punish." Having apparently rested long enough, Lunatic raised his bowgun again. "And my punishment extends to those who prevent proper retribution."

Keith shot into the sky, dodging the eruption of flame, and turned to send a whirlwind bearing down on Lunatic, hoping to entrap him. Instead, the swirling air ignited, flaring skyward - and when Keith lowered the arm with which he'd instinctively shielded his eyes, nothing remained.

Rising higher above the city, Keith surveyed the surrounding area as the emcee confirmed Lunatic's disappearance from the scene. As far as Keith could tell, there was no sign of Lunatic anywhere.

"Sky High," Agnes's voice broke in over the broadcast. "I must congratulate you for your excellent judgment - the ratings during your fight with Lunatic were higher than we've seen since the Maverick incident. Even though you didn't win any points, you're certainly gaining the lion's share of the fans."

"Mmm. Thank you." That wasn't why he'd done it, and he had failed to accomplish what he'd set out to do... but he had prevented Lunatic from killing again, and he had pleased his fans. The outcome, overall, was positive.

As he flew back to join with the other heroes, however, his mind kept drifting back to what Lunatic had said, that he also sought to protect people... and that the heroes couldn't protect everyone.

Keith knew that. It haunted his dreams. Having it forced into his conscious thoughts as well was... unwelcome.

\---

On the other side of town, another pondered that same moment, but from a slightly different perspective. Since his debut, Sky High had experienced nearly unmatched success on HeroTV, Yuri thought, sipping at his cup of tea and calling up the file. He had never failed to save a civilian marked as a target; a criminal had never escaped while he was present. He had been defeated by Jake Martinez, yes, and he had gone through a bit of a dry spell afterwards, but it hadn't resulted in anyone's harm. The city had been saved, the criminals had been caught. And yet his mannerisms, when Lunatic had stated that he could not protect everyone, had suggested that he knew that sort of catastrophic failure. It was difficult to tell, with the man enclosed entirely within his hero suit, but Yuri had faced countless defendants in court; he knew the body language of those who felt guilt. The defensive posture, the turn of the head, the set of the shoulders... Whether one had committed the crime of which they were accused or not, such things indicated that they _felt_ guilt. He had seen those signs in Sky High.

He'd gone over the man's record, as always, when Sky High was submitted for the approval of the Justice Bureau. Background checks had turned up nothing even slightly suspicious, and therefore Yuri hadn't sought out every last detail.

Ah, yes - Keith Goodman, he thought as he clicked through from the standard hero profile to the more classified files the Bureau kept. Aptly named, more than any of them had realized at the time. Which now had become somewhat suspicious - because one thing Yuri recalled was that "Goodman" was not the hero's original name. A name change had been registered at the age of eighteen, rebranding the boy formerly known as Keith Palmer. He was a product of the foster care system, so it was not particularly unusual that he might choose a name for himself rather than defaulting to the one assigned, and he had no offenses on his record under the previous name either. 

A closer examination reaffirmed the lack of offenses, and an unremarkable school record as well: largely average grades, no serious disciplinary actions, involvement in extra-curricular groups that did volunteer work. His references had included his last foster parents, his high school guidance counselor, and the director of a mentorship program he had spent a summer working with. All proclaimed that he was a conscientious, well-behaved, hard-working young man. He had expressed interest in working with children, perhaps because of his own upbringing, but believed that with the development of his NEXT powers, he might be able to help more people as a hero than he could have done as just another ordinary man.

As Yuri remembered, there was nothing at all in his records that suggested Keith Goodman was not a good candidate for becoming an officially sanctioned hero. But now he was curious - what else might lie in the past of Keith Palmer, which had not been readily apparent about Keith Goodman?

The files held by the Bureau did not detail every aspect of the heroes' lives, but Yuri had access to other resources, due to his position. A quick search for the original name turned up a few results throughout the legal system, as neither the first name nor the last was uncommon; it was obvious at a glance that none of them were relevant. A search for the first name and the last name as independent strings turned up countless records, and Yuri narrowed them down by dates and locations until the results were more manageable.

One of the first he encountered was a case named STATE VS. JACK PALMER - NC 1963. Upon clicking for more information, he was abruptly confronted by a picture he had seen many times before. A close-cropped picture of a blond boy of perhaps ten years at most, grinning so widely his eyes were squeezed shut, his arm proudly slung around the shoulders of a smaller, dark-eyed boy who was smiling shyly at the photographer.

Yuri remembered the case at once. That photograph had been shown on the news and printed in the papers repeatedly, often zoomed in on the smaller boy - and it had been all the more troubling to him given the timing. It had been a very long time, however, since he had thought about it, and he had no reason to recall the names of those involved in the years since.

Setting his tea aside, Yuri settled down to read the entirety of the case - and those that followed in its wake. ...He'd had no idea whatsoever.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith knew better than to think that anything he'd said had gotten through to Lunatic, even if the man made no repeat appearances during the next handful of HeroTV cases. It would have been good, and quite convenient, but surely if the person behind the mask had gotten it into his head that killing was justice in the first place, he would not be so easily convinced otherwise. There were, after all, those who killed without considering the ramifications, but Lunatic was not one of those. He did not kill indiscriminately, or even because his victims somehow got in his way; he set out to kill those who had killed, because he believed it was the fair thing to do.

Or so they had all assumed. The next time Lunatic claimed a victim, none of the heroes were anywhere nearby, and his target was no murderer - as far as anyone knew, anyhow.

All that was left when the heroes arrived at the scene was blackened pavement, the chalk outline in the middle, and a car that had been scorched on one side. Lunatic's blue flames were unnaturally hot - the heat still radiated from the area, making the parking garage strangely warm for the season. 

There were also police, of course, and curious bystanders, and witnesses. There was no question whatsoever that it had been Lunatic's work; the courthouse had been closing for the day, the employees finishing whatever business was at hand and then making their way out. The victim was only one of the employees who had been in the parking garage at the time.

Clearly he must have been chosen by Lunatic for some reason, because Lunatic showed no interest in harming anyone else present. No one had seen his arrival, whether he appeared suddenly or had been waiting near the victim's parking spot. If there had been words exchanged, they hadn't been heard. Those nearby had noticed nothing amiss until they had heard the scream and the roar of the flames, and turned to see a figure engulfed in fire - flailing helplessly, falling against the side of the car, collapsing. It had all happened too quickly for anyone to even think of how they might save him, and Lunatic had leapt from the parking garage almost before they had realized he was there.

Those were the details, as the horrified witnesses were describing them, but Keith found them rather unbelievable. While the police were taking down the information, his eyes kept straying back to the burn marks. This didn't fit Lunatic's patterns at all, to kill a judge. In fact, it seemed like the opposite of Lunatic's professed mission, since his goal was to bring about true justice.

Perhaps there was some clue in the judge's background that would explain the matter. "What was the man's name?" he inquired.

"The victim was Judge Laurence Witte," a voice replied from behind Keith, and he turned to see a man approaching, dressed in a long dark coat, his pale hair gathered back at the neck with a bit of black ribbon. "He has been a judge for nearly twenty years, predating my entire career in law, and this building itself. I find it difficult to imagine this courthouse without his name upon the directory."

"Your Honor," Keith said, raising his gloved hand to his helmet in salute; he recognized Judge Petrov from having addressed the Justice Bureau on multiple occasions. The police could handle the reports, he supposed, and stepped away to speak with the judge. As current leader in the rankings and likely King of Heroes, it was his responsibility. "I apologize that we could not protect your friend."

"There was nothing you could have done, Mr. Sky High," Judge Petrov assured him, "and to be honest, the victim and I weren't close - we had different areas of expertise, and I rarely crossed paths with him. His career has simply been so long that I have never known a time when he was not presiding over cases here."

"Ah. A fixture of your work environment." Keith understood. Wild Tiger had been something like that for him, and it still seemed slightly strange that he was gone. Perhaps he could get more useful information from someone further removed from the incident. "You say you had different areas of expertise. What sorts of cases did he handle?"

"Judge Witte," Judge Petrov replied, "has been a staple of the family court for most of his life."

Judge Witte... Hearing him named in such a way somehow made the name sound more familiar. Judge Witte, of the family court. Hmm.

"He largely handled divorces, custody decisions," Judge Petrov continued. "The sorts of cases that _do_ cause lingering resentment - I wouldn't be surprised if he had made many enemies aside from Lunatic." "His expression darkened somewhat. "To be perfectly frank, I disagreed with a great many of his rulings. He seemed far more interested in following the letter of the law rather than the spirit, making formulaic decisions rather than insightful ones."

...Was that where he remembered hearing the name, Keith wondered? He didn't encounter many judges on a regular basis, aside from Judge Petrov, due entirely to his involvement with the Justice Bureau. There were only a few other occasions that Keith had had anything to do with a judge, and for most, he had been too young and scared to remember names and faces.

"Regardless of our differing ideals, however, his loss is quite a shock," Judge Petrov went on to say. "As is the idea that Lunatic could enter our facilities unseen."

"Yes." Keith pulled himself out of the troubled memory, and gave Judge Petrov a firm nod. "We will be discussing the option of stronger security methods with your staff. Rest assured, we will take every precaution to ensure the safety of you and the rest of the employees, your honor."

Oddly enough, Judge Petrov smiled slightly. "There's no need to be so formal," he suggested. "We're both public servants through the Justice Bureau, after all - coworkers, in a sense. Although I must address you by your hero name in public, you may call me Yuri, if you prefer."

Actually, Keith found the idea somewhat awkward. But if Judge Petrov preferred a more casual address, then he would do so. "Thank you, Judge Yuri."

"Anyhow, I'm not overly concerned with my safety," Judge Petrov continued. "This killing is unusual for Lunatic, and I believe it would be unlike him to target another judge."

"I couldn't say," Keith admitted. "It _is_ unusual, unless Judge Witte has some evil secret hidden in his past. But it could be that Lunatic has decided to take his crusade for justice one step further, and do away with those who play a part in what he considers a useless system - in which case you also might be in danger."

"Possible," Judge Petrov acknowledged. "But isn't it also possible that one of Judge Witte's rulings in particular might have inspired Lunatic's punishment? Perhaps Lunatic, or someone he knows, was deeply, personally affected by a case over which Judge Witte presided. An inadequate outcome to, say, a custody battle... In that sort of case, the incorrect ruling might entirely change the course of someone's life."

It could. Keith had wondered many times, when he was young, how differently things might have unfolded - whether it could have been worse than what he'd endured. It was fortunate that he was wearing his helmet, because his eyes were no doubt haunted. "That's true... but even an injustice done early in someone's life is not a good enough excuse for this. A person must be responsible for their own actions, regardless of the actions of others."

"No matter how negative?" Judge Petrov inquired.

Keith nodded firmly. "I speak from personal experience," he admitted. "My own childhood was... unhappy." He straightened; in spite of everything, he had managed to not only survive, but find success. "And now I am a hero."

Judge Petrov nodded more slowly, thoughtfully. "So you don't believe that some past ruling, and its unintended consequences, might have been the motivating factor behind this killing?"

"I would think that someone who had been a victim of injustice would be more interested in securing justice than committing murder," Keith replied. It was true in his case, anyway.

"And isn't that exactly what Lunatic has been doing, from his own perspective?"

Keith paused. Judge Petrov had a point.

"Anyhow - I offer you food for thought," Judge Petrov added more casually, brushing the hair back from his face with an idle motion. "I wasn't here when Judge Witte was killed, so that is all I can offer at the moment. If there is any way I can be of assistance during the investigation, however, please do contact me. Again, we are in a sense coworkers."

"Very well. Any help will be appreciated," Keith murmured. "And you have given me something to consider."

"I'm glad to hear it." Judge Petrov hesitated. "And Mr. Sky High... perhaps the two of us should speak sometime, without all the trappings of our positions - face to face, without masks. I suspect we may have some things in common."

"Oh...?"

"My childhood was also troubled," Judge Petrov said. "Not unusual in this modern world, unfortunately. But then..." He held out his hands, in a gesture of display. "...Here I am."

Suddenly Keith understood. "I see... We both made the same choice."

Judge Petrov nodded. "As you said, being a victim of injustice often makes one more determined to be an agent of justice."

Keith had never thought much about the motivations of the figures who made up the Justice Bureau; they were vague, distant persons that were more akin to politicians, policy-makers, than they were like his position. "We do have something in common," he agreed, and offered his hand.

Judge Petrov accepted it with a shake that was firmer than Keith expected. "It's been a pleasure talking with you."

"Likewise."

A pleasure, and yet also disturbing. There was nothing more the heroes could do at the scene of the crime, and they didn't stay much longer. That evening, while out for a walk with John, Keith reflected on what Judge Petrov had suggested, that Lunatic's latest murder might have had to do with one of Judge Witte's past rulings.

He also reflected on the possibility that _he_ might have been one of Judge Witte's past rulings. If Judge Witte had been handling custody cases for nearly twenty years, as Judge Petrov had suggested, then it was possible. And he'd been too young to understand why at the time, but thinking back, excessive legalism was the only excuse he could imagine for why what had happened had happened. Ms. Jeanette had always been kind to him - as kind as if he were her own son. Kinder than his own mother. Far kinder than where he'd wound up.

It wasn't until John shoved his cold nose into Keith's palm that Keith recognized he'd missed the crosswalk signal, standing perfectly still at the curb and paying no attention at all. Remembering the look on her face. Remembering the sound of the gavel. He'd never been so lost and terrified in his life - and he hadn't even known everything that he had to be terrified of yet. He hadn't known that things could still get worse. He hadn't known anything.

He was nearly knocked over when John jumped up on him unexpectedly. At least it startled him out of his thoughts - he wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there, staring off into space, as the lights turned over and over.

But in the end, he thought, what did it matter who had been the judge to decide the custody case? He hadn't known what would happen any more than Keith had - and he hadn't been the one responsible. Just as Keith had said to Judge Petrov earlier, every person was responsible for their own actions, and only their own actions. That applied not only to Lunatic, or Judge Witte, but also to every individual from his past.

As for Judge Petrov... Keith hoped that whatever his troubled childhood might have been, it hadn't been anything like his.

John tugged at his leash when the light changed again, and Keith finally collected himself enough to cross the street. Dogs were helpful for many reasons. He wondered if Yuri had a dog.

\---

The next strike by Lunatic was similarly unprecedented and unexpected - the victim was a lone woman, caught late at night out on the street. That much, at least, made sense according to the incident report that arrived at the HeroTV offices the next day.

"A prostitute...?" Antonio frowned at the papers, giving them a glance over before passing them on to Ivan. "That doesn't make any sense - he's protected prostitutes before. When there was that serial killer targetting them, he left them alone and went after the killer."

"You don't suppose Lunatic's becoming _more_ of a loose cannon...?" Karina pondered. "Maybe he really _is_ a lunatic."

"At the moment," Judge Petrov said, "we're lost for ideas as to what the man is thinking." He'd been the one to bring the report by, as the Justice Bureau's emissary, and he held out a mug shot of a young woman, unhealthily thin and wearing far too much makeup, presumably the victim. "Miss Valentina de Luca - arrested a handful of times for prostitution, entered into rehabilitation programs multiple times, with an equal number of lapses. Unfortunately an all too common story."

Nathan nodded knowingly. "When you're that desperate..."

Keith gave a thoughtful nod as well, his eyes lingering on the picture. "No known connection to Judge Witte...?"

"None that we're aware of," Judge Petrov replied. "Rest assured, we're going to look further into the matter - regardless of profession or vice, we cannot have women afraid to walk the streets of Sternbild at night."

"Certainly not," Keith agreed. "I would be happy to expand my nightly patrols, if it would help to keep the public calm."

"I'll help keep watch too," Ivan volunteered, and Nathan added his support, followed by Antonio. Karina and Pao-lin, still being underage and having responsibilities to keep up their identities as young civilians, couldn't stay out _too_ late into the night, but could take on a little bit of time earlier in the evenings.

That was settled, then, and the heroes dispersed, having been informed and plans arranged. Before leaving, however, Judge Petrov motioned to Keith. "I couldn't help but notice, you looked at Miss de Luca's picture for a very long time," he observed, his voice low. "Had you seen her before?"

"She did seem familiar," Keith acknowledged. "Not overly familiar. It might be only that I've seen her during my patrols."

"Perhaps," Judge Petrov agreed. "If you're interested in learning more, might you care to join me as I do some research? This incident happened so suddenly, I haven't yet done the usual checks into the victim's background."

"There may be a clue there," Keith said with a nod. "If you think I can be of assistance, Judge Yuri, I would be glad to help."

"It's not so much that I would expect your assistance," Judge Petrov noted. "I've researched many people's backgrounds during my years of service, and it's little trouble. It is, however, a tedious and solitary task; I had thought that a party with an interest in the case might make it less so."

"Ahh." Keith nodded. "As always, I will do my best to be of service."

The judge smiled a slight smile of amusement. "I'm not asking for Sky High to perform a professional duty, you realize. I'm simply asking if Keith Goodman might like to keep me company."

"Mm." Keith was slightly bewildered by the idea, but again, he nodded. "...Sure."

They must have made an odd-looking pair on the monorail; Judge Petrov looking severe and businesslike in his suit and dark coat, Keith perfectly casual in his everyday jeans and flight jacket. A light flurry was falling and instantly melting against the pavement as they made the short walk from the last stop to the Justice Bureau headquarters. With his light hair and pale complexion and grey clothing, Keith thought, Yuri looked at home in such weather - almost like a personification of winter itself.

His office, too, was stark and dignified and thoroughly professional. There was only one item obvious in the room that Keith could definitely assume belonged to the judge himself, rather than to his employers, and that was a teacup on his desk, with a tag dangling over the side. Yuri picked it up upon entering. "Do you drink tea?" he inquired.

"Not regularly," Keith admitted.

Yuri smiled another slight, amused smile. "Would you care for some today?"

"That would be nice, yes, thank you," Keith agreed. Although it had been a long time since he'd had tea, and he wasn't sure that he'd cared for it, it would have been rude to refuse Yuri's hospitality.

"Very well. Make yourself comfortable," Yuri suggested. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Keith nodded, and went to sit down, and had a look around. There wasn't much to look at in the office. No clues about Yuri's personal life whatsoever. No pictures of family or friends, not even paintings or posters or little ornaments... Keith wondered if he just didn't spend much time in the office? He spent a lot of his time at the courthouse too, so perhaps he hadn't bothered personalizing his office with the Justice Bureau. There was the computer and monitors, of course, facing the other direction. Keith knew better than to investigate someone else's computer too closely, so he simply sat and waited, tapping his fingers on his leg idly.

When Yuri returned, it was with a tray, upon which were two cups, a teapot, and a couple of small jars and spoons. "Aah, you didn't have to go to any trouble," Keith said immediately.

"No trouble at all - the research may take some time, and I prefer to have some kind of refreshment on hand," Yuri assured him, and set the tray down on the desk between them as he took his own seat in front of the computer. "I keep an electric kettle and a few accessories in the employee lounge for just such occasions."

Keith nodded. "I see... you're prepared."

"Always," Yuri agreed, and began to pour. "Do you take anything in your tea? Milk, lemon, honey..."

"What do you have?"

"Usually I have honey." Which appeared to be what was in the small jar that Yuri uncovered.

Keith watched him drizzle in a sticky spoonful, stirring it into the hot liquid. "I think I'll try mine with honey too."

"In that case..." Yuri offered him the cup, and started to prepare another. "You might want to let it cool for a bit first."

While they were waiting, Yuri turned on his computer, and urged Keith to move his chair around to the same side of the desk, so he could see the monitor. By the time they were properly arranged, the computer had booted up, and Yuri took an experimental sip of his tea, giving it a nod, as he started up a search through the Justice Bureau's records.

Ms. de Luca was in their records, of course, due to her past arrests, and again Keith couldn't help but think that her profile picture seemed familiar. Her eyes, he thought. Something about her eyes. They looked empty of everything but sadness.

"Now _this_ is interesting," Yuri remarked, pointing to the part of her profile which indicated her criminal record. "Her arrests for prostitution were in recent years - but there was another conviction several years past."

"For what?" Keith asked curiously.

"... _Very_ interesting," Yuri remarked, clicking the link and bringing up a case report. "In addition to an early drug arrest, it appears that she was once a social worker - before she was stripped of her license."

"A... social worker?"

"She was charged with gross negligence," Yuri continued, "after it was revealed that she was taking bribes during visits to foster homes. In exchange for drugs or money, she would keep quiet. Several cases of abuse went on with no documentation, until a coworker happened to make a visit to one of Ms. De Luca's usual households, and it was clear that the problems she found had been going on for some time. Other households were then inspected, and more issues uncovered..."

A social worker. Named Valentina. Possibly nicknamed 'Val'. Seeing abuse, and turning away... with dark, sad, empty-looking eyes. "...Could you... go back for a moment?" Keith requested.

"Of course." Another click, and Ms. de Luca's eyes were staring out at him again. "Did you see something?"

"I just... wanted another look." Keith was almost certain. Almost.

"Hmm..." Yuri clicked again, and the page he'd been reading before loaded onto the other monitor so he could continue. "It occurs to me that now we have two victims who were involved with numerous matters relating to domestic problems - in the most recent case, specifically child abuse and neglect within the foster care system. So there _is_ a connection."

Yuri continued talking, but Keith wasn't quite listening. He remembered her now. He remembered rolling his sleeves up, showing her, but her eyes had twitched away and closed as if she couldn't bear to let them see. He remembered her refusing to look him in the eye as she turned to go. He remembered Bill looking him in the eye afterwards, though - and he would have run for his life if he'd thought it was worth anything, but Amy had told him time and time again, so he might as well just...

"Keith...? Keith."

Bill was shaking him; Keith squeezed his eyes shut and tried to imagine himself somewhere else. Somewhere good... except he didn't know anywhere that was good any more, except maybe the places he saw on TV sometimes, places with beaches and palm trees, and even if he'd never seen a beach or a palm tree, everyone on TV seemed to like places with-

The hand that touched his cheek, making him flinch, was not so much as a slap, only a gentle caress. "Keith - it's me. You're all right..."

The voice was as gentle as the touch, and Keith clutched at both - the soothing voice mentally, the hand physically. He caught his breath again and again, recovering the present as the past echoed in his mind, growing more distant as he recognized his surroundings. The cool, soft hand in his, the dim light and quiet peacefulness of the office, the smell of tea.

"...all right," Judge Petrov was saying quietly, when Keith opened his eyes. "Can you speak? Do you know where you are...?"

Keith nodded. He did know where he was. Speaking might take a little longer, as he still felt out of breath.

"Do you know who I am?" Judge Petrov continued, and when he didn't answer, his expression grew more concerned. "What year is it, Keith?"

"NC 1979," Keith whispered absently, and then, more pained, "Yuri..."

Yuri's hand tightened on his as his own squeezed harder. "I apologize," Yuri murmured. "I might have guessed from what you'd said before of your past - there was a chance you might react badly to learning of the victim's former misdeeds."

"It wasn't your fault," Keith whispered between deep breaths. "You didn't know. I offered to help."

"Perhaps. Even so..." Yuri was kneeling next to Keith's chair, and his other hand rose to clasp the back of Keith's hand, holding it securely. "...Flashback, I presume?"

Keith nodded faintly. "How did you know?"

"I've experienced a few of those in my time as well." Yuri's hand withdrew again, rising to cover his own face briefly, almost as if a reflex. "Again, I apologize."

...Keith wondered what he was remembering. He forced his own hand to relax, to let go. "No, _I'm_ sorry," he sighed. "I came here offering to help, and now I'm..."

"Keith," Yuri interrupted, quiet but firm. "Let's not concern ourselves with apologies for the time being. There may be blame, but the root of it is not found with either of us, am I correct?" His hands free once again, he stood and reached for one of the teacups, offering it. "I've found that tea can be quite soothing, if it appeals to you to drink something."

"Mm, yes. Thank you." Keith hadn't even had a chance to try the tea yet, since he'd been waiting for it to cool. The hand that took the cup was shaky and damp, and he quickly steadied it with the other.

"Much more so than coffee, particularly at times like these." Yuri's voice sounded more like Keith would have expected, growing an edge of dry humor as he took up his own cup, settling back down in his chair. "The last thing one needs when reliving a traumatic memory is a large dose of caffeine."

Keith managed a faint chuckle. "True..." He tried a sip of the tea; he wasn't quite sure what he would have thought of it without the honey, but the sweetness was appealing at the moment.

Yuri took a long drink of his own before offering. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Keith shook his head. Now that he was in the present - a rather pleasant time compared to those that had come before - he didn't want to go back. But then again, he'd made a scene in Yuri's office. He deserved an explanation, at least. "...She visited the foster home where I was first placed. I was old enough to know why she was visiting, and I tried to tell her..." He drew a deep breath, and took another drink of his tea. "I never understood why she didn't listen. Now I know..."

"Hmm... So you were one of the cases that caused her license to be revoked." Yuri had turned both monitors away from Keith during his episode, apparently, and now appeared to be studying the information displayed on one of them. "I didn't catch that."

"You couldn't have," Keith murmured. "My name then was Keith Palmer."

"...Ah. I see, right here," Yuri confirmed with a nod. "You changed it when you were older?"

"I wasn't attached to it," Keith continued, lowering his head. "And... I wanted to be a... a 'good man'. Better than the men I'd known."

He felt, more than saw, Yuri's head turn towards him. It seemed so silly now, trying to call himself something he wanted to be - like pretending to be someone else. Bill and Amy were right, he was just a stupid kid no one wanted, he was never going to be any use to anyone...

Keith only realized he'd closed his eyes again when he opened them, hearing a sound right in front of him; Yuri had turned his chair to face him, leaning forward in it. "When you're called something for long enough... you start believing it. You might even start to become it," Yuri said. "I understand. And if that's true of the negative things people call you... why not counter with something positive?"

Keith nodded. That had been the idea.

"Although I'm not so sure it was necessary in your case, since I can't imagine you being anything but," Yuri continued, "let me assure you, Keith - you _are_ a good man. You protect this city's innocents on a daily basis. You go beyond the call of duty as a hero with your nightly patrols, even offering more of your time when you're concerned about the public's safety. And though you have a busy schedule as the top-ranking hero, you still took the time to come here and keep me company as I investigated this case today."

"It was no trouble," Keith said, automatically. Yuri tilted his head, arching an eyebrow curiously, and Keith recognized how ridiculous that was to say. "...Ah... I suppose a 'good man' wouldn't lie, would he?" he asked, forcing a small smile.

"To spare someone regret, he might," Yuri suggested, with a small answering smile of his own. "Honestly, I'm very sorry that my invitation caused you to relive old memories."

"You had no idea I was personally involved," Keith reminded him. "And even if you had known, you couldn't have known how I would react. And I'm all right now." Or getting there. He couldn't say if it was just time passing, or the tea, or Yuri's cautious care, but he was starting to feel more like himself again.

"Regardless, I'd like to make it up to you," said Yuri. "Forgive me if such an invitation is unwelcome, but would you care to join me for dinner some night, perhaps this weekend?"

"Hmm... that would be nice." Yuri's company had been pleasant so far, circumstances aside. "As long as we're not called out... And as long as we're done before it's time for my patrol."

"You wouldn't take the night off?" Yuri inquired.

"Criminals don't."

Again, Yuri gave him a small smile. "Not only a _good_ man, but one of the best I've met."

"...Thank you." Keith was beginning to get a funny feeling about the way Yuri smiled at him.

It was decided in short order, by the time Keith had finished his tea, that Friday night at six was a good time for them both, and that they should should both take a break from the investigation for now and get some rest instead. The idea of going home to doze off in bed with John curled up at his feet was incredibly appealing to Keith, and he could stop by the HeroTV offices later for a workout before his patrol. 

It didn't occur to Keith until he was on patrol late that night, flying high above Sternbild, that he'd probably just been asked out on a date. In his distraction, he dropped about ten feet towards the streets below before catching himself.


	3. Chapter 3

By five-thirty Friday night, Keith had finished his daily workout at the gym, taken a quick shower, come home, taken John for a quick walk, taken a longer shower, and changed his clothes approximately five times. If this was, as he suspected, a date, then he should make himself look nice. But then again, he may have been jumping to conclusions; perhaps Yuri was only repaying him for the reaction he'd accidentally provoked a couple of days before, in which case he might as well just be comfortable. But then, he hadn't asked where Yuri was planning on having dinner, and it could be that they were going to a nice restaurant. But then again, he hadn't suggested a dress code, and if they were going somewhere casual, it would be absurd for Keith to be dressed up. But... if it really _was_ a date, then he should look nice, _and_ Yuri might be taking him somewhere nice...

Finally Keith settled for a suit jacket he wore occasionally when attending HeroTV functions less formal than those that required a tuxedo, with a button-down shirt and casual slacks, no tie. It was appropriate for most situations, he supposed - and he could keep a tie in the pocket, just in case one was required.

John seemed to sense his nervousness, following him around the apartment, watching him. "It's okay," Keith assured him, dropping to his knees to scratch under the dog's ears. "Nothing to worry about... at least, I don't think there is." John was willing to take his word for it - or maybe he was just smiling because Keith was down on his knees, scratching under his ears.

John being happy made Keith happy, and when the doorbell rang, Keith jumped up in alarm from where he'd been sitting on the floor rubbing a happy doggy belly - which was also now right-side-up and headed for the door. Running his fingers through his hair, he ducked back into the bathroom for a second to make sure his jacket was straight. It was, but it also now had dog hair on it. Keith plucked off the worst of it as he followed John's lead and started for the door. "Sit. And behave," Keith admonished him, because John had continued wagging his tail excitedly despite following his instructions. Still, he could usually count on John to behave himself, so he went ahead and opened the door.

It looked like he'd chosen well. Yuri wasn't wearing anything overly fancy, but he was still dressed in the same manner as he dressed for work, a suit and tie, his hair pulled back. The look on his face as he saw Keith could only be described as intrigued. "Don't you look nice tonight...?" he mused.

"Uh, likewise," Keith replied, slightly flustered. He hadn't really... _looked at_ Yuri before, not _that_ way, and he couldn't say that Yuri looked particularly different than usual, but Yuri was... nice-looking... in general. "I didn't know where we'd be having dinner," he explained, "so I wanted to make sure my clothes were acceptable."

"I'd thought I'd let you choose," Yuri said, peering past him to the barely-restrained enthusiasm of a wagging tail. "...And this must be John."

"Yes, John," Keith confirmed, slightly puzzled - and moved back to give John a good petting, since he'd perked up even more at the sound of his name. "You knew?"

"You've mentioned him in several interviews."

"Ah... of course." Which didn't mean anything, Keith recognized. They were coworkers, in a sense. Yuri was connected with HeroTV on several levels - he probably saw a lot of heroes' interviews, read a lot of articles... "Would you like to come in and meet him?" he offered. "He's trained, he doesn't jump on people. Usually."

"I'm not an animal person, precisely," Yuri admitted, as he stepped inside, "but it would be rude of me not to introduce myself to your companion, wouldn't it?"

"He always appreciates it," Keith agreed, pleased when Yuri reached out to stroke John's head and neck. John was obviously pleased as well, his tongue hanging out. "He's glad to meet anyone who'll pay him some attention."

"He doesn't get enough from you?" Yuri teased.

"He's used to it from me - it's normal," Keith said with a chuckle. "The attention he gets from other people is a bonus."

"I see." Though not wary, Yuri didn't seem entirely at ease around John either, and stopped after just a little petting. "Well, if we're going to finish before your patrol, we should probably be going."

"All right..." Keith supposed he didn't need a coat or jacket if he was wearing the suit jacket already, and they weren't going to be spending that much time outdoors. He gave John a last pat on the head - John seemed to like Yuri just fine, that was a good sign - and picked up his keys, locking the door behind them.

"As I was saying a moment ago, I'd planned on letting you choose our destination," Yuri said, while they were on the way out to his car. "After all, I'm repaying you for the trouble the other day."

"Oh, that's all right, no harm done," Keith assured him, and wondered - was it a date after all, then? "It was an accident anyway."

"Even so," Yuri insisted with a smile. "Do you have anywhere you like to go?"

"I... have no preference." Keith paused as Yuri headed around to the far side of the car. "After all, favoring one establishment over another could be considered an endorsement - and my agent says I must be very careful about such things."

"Keith, Keith, Keith..." Yuri murmured, shaking his head, and unlocked the car doors for the two of them. "Tonight you're not Sky High. You're just Keith Goodman."

"...Right." Just because he was a little nervous, he was slipping into work habits. He'd have to stop that, he thought. "To be honest, I don't know many restaurants," he admitted as they got in the car. "I eat at home with John most of the time, or during the commute. I don't... exactly have a lot of people to go out to eat with."

"Me neither," Yuri acknowledged. "But even if it's considered strange to dine alone, I do enjoy a good meal. Would you rather I pick?"

"That sounds fine." It took that particular pressure off him, at any rate.

The restaurant Yuri chose seemed just about right - fancy enough for their suits not to be out of place, not so formal as to require the tie Keith had stashed away. The menu had some things on it that Keith had never heard of before, but also more traditional fare like poultry and seafood, so he wasn't left wondering what he could order. After a little discussion, he settled on the chicken parmigiana, while Yuri ordered some kind of pasta with shrimp.

Once the waiter had gone, the two of them were left alone at their small table for two. Which had a basket of bread and butter already placed in the center. And a candle and rosebud vase. And light music playing. It was still nagging at him, and since they were talking about nothing more important than the menu, Keith decided he might as well find out. "...Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course." 

Yuri set down the butter knife and lifted his eyes, giving Keith his full attention, and Keith almost lost his nerve. "Is this... a date?" he ventured.

Yuri's eyebrow rose. "I had hoped it might be," he replied, apparently with none of Keith's self-consciousness about the subject, "but that depends on whether you'd like it to be considered a date. If not, we're merely having dinner."

"Oh..." Yuri said it so matter-of-factly, Keith wasn't sure he'd understood correctly. But Yuri didn't seem to think it was a stupid question, and if Keith was hearing it right...

"Of course either way is fine by me," Yuri continued, tearing off a bit of the bread's crust idly. "Given our social stature, we both must be discreet - and it's difficult to tell sometimes who might share one's own inclinations. But a friendly dinner together is by no means objectionable to me, and so I will readily accept either."

He popped the piece of crust into his mouth, and Keith hesitated as he chewed. "So this _is_ a date?" Keith summarized.

"Would you like it to be one?" Yuri replied, with that small, secretive smile that had made Keith feel a little strange before. That strange feeling was easier to identify now that they were talking about it openly. "If so, then yes."

"Ah... good," Keith said with a nod. "I mean, yes. I would."

"I'm glad," Yuri said, his smile growing a little broader.

"It's just..." Keith couldn't help but feel self-conscious about it. "I... I didn't realize at first. I don't have much experience with... dating."

"Oh? I seem to remember you being quite the popular commodity during that charity Hero Auction last summer..."

Yuri was clearly teasing him, and Keith smiled down at his hands absently. "Sky High has been on dates for publicity and fundraising, yes. But that's different."

"I would imagine so." Yuri took another bite of the bread and swallowed before speaking. "I admit I don't have a great deal of experience either. My work keeps me busy - and of course, as I said, there is the need for discretion. And then, if I may be perfectly frank, I have certain issues with allowing myself to become close with others. Perhaps given your own past, you understand what I mean..."

Keith nodded, growing solemn again. "I do..." He had never even acknowledged to anyone that he sometimes found men as attractive as women - for a long time, it had been just one more excuse that adults might use to turn their backs on him. And by the time he was an adult himself, among people who wouldn't have cared, he'd been quietly alone for so long that it hardly mattered. After having been mistreated, after all, it was hard to even consider letting someone else in. That girl on the park bench last year had been the first time since high school that he'd dared to try, and when she'd stopped coming to the fountain... "Letting someone closer means they can hurt you more deeply."

"It does," Yuri agreed quietly. "And while I would venture that neither of us needs such a disruption in our lives at the moment... it seemed the two of us, who both can grasp just how much is at stake for the other, might at the very least welcome an understanding friendship, whether it remains exactly that or is merely a starting point. _That_ is why I invited you to dinner."

Keith's heart was pounding like it did when he was sent into a hostage situation. Yuri was right - he knew how much was at stake, and it was a lot. And moreover, it was all fragile. One wrong move and everything could be destroyed.

But by making the right moves, he could bring someone from a place of fear to a place of safety. Maybe two someones.

Maybe that was exactly what Yuri had been thinking about when he'd asked Keith out.

"Then it _is_ a date," Keith said finally, giving Yuri a smile. "I'm glad I accepted."

Yuri smiled back, accepting the hand Keith extended across the table - not for a formal, businesslike handshake, but simply to hold.

Their clasped hands rested on the tablecloth between them for a time, but by the time the waiter returned with their food, Yuri had been urging Keith to try some of the fresh bread and herbed butter, and Keith was glad he'd accepted that invitation too. Now that he wasn't so uncertain about what was happening, he was starving.

Naturally the conversation over dinner turned to work, since it was something they had in common that _wasn't_ unpleasant to discuss. For the most part, anyway; there was plenty to talk about aside from the case that they'd been investigating the other day, but eventually Yuri did bring it up as they waited for the return of the waiter with the receipt. "Although I wouldn't want to spoil the evening," he said, "I suppose I should let you know what I discovered about Lunatic's recent activities - though for all I know, you might have been aware already. The connection was, once Ms. de Luca's past was uncovered, rather obvious - she was a corrupt social worker, Judge Witte oversaw many custody cases. It was simple enough to confirm, through workplace records, that some children were placed by Judge Witte in homes that were inspected by Ms. de Luca."

"Including me," Keith murmured. "I think."

"I will admit that I looked," said Yuri. "You were far from the only one. For that matter, you weren't the only child placed with Bill and Amy Holtz by Judge Witte - and Ms. de Luca had been visiting their household for years. You were the last child to experience their particular variety of so-called foster 'care', but not the first."

Keith's head drooped a little, remembering - he'd met some of those other children - but Yuri's hand covered his, and he looked up again. "You've come a long way," Yuri told him, "and you've overcome a great deal. Don't forget that."

Keith nodded, and made it a firm one. "Yes. Thank you..."

"Anyhow, we have people looking into whether anyone else connected to a case involving both Judge Witte and Ms. de Luca are known to be NEXT," Yuri continued. "The Justice Bureau believes this may be the clue that will uncover Lunatic's true identity."

"Hmm..." Lunatic's identity was a long-running mystery, and the heroes weren't the ones in charge of that investigation - they were only in charge of stopping him if they managed to catch him about to claim another victim. If there had been any developments in that investigation since the beginning, Keith hadn't heard of them. And for that matter... "I hadn't heard anything about this in the news. The Justice Bureau hasn't even mentioned the connection - except for you, just now."

"We're not publicizing it," Yuri explained with a smile. "We wouldn't want Lunatic to know in advance that we see a pattern emerging, would we?"

"If it prevents him from taking another life, it might be worth it," Keith pointed out.

"There are no signs he's planning to strike again," Yuri observed.

"There are never any signs he's planning to strike," said Keith. "But he's been appearing for two years now - I don't see why he'd stop all of a sudden."

"Regardless, in the meantime we're using what information we have to our greatest advantage," Yuri continued smoothly. "Currently, that means keeping it classified. You're the only one among the heroes who knows."

"...Because I was there when you found the connection."

They paused for a moment as the waiter returned, leaving the receipt with Yuri, who confirmed that everything had been to their satisfaction, thank you. "It's just as well that you were there," Yuri remarked as they stood to go. "You shouldn't have to endure this alone... There may be more memories returning to you, depending on Lunatic's next move."

"I hope not..." More killings were bad enough, considering Keith's line of work, but seeing names and faces from the past made his personal life complicated as well.

But then again, Yuri's hand closing over his lightly made it... not _less_ complicated, but complicated in a better way. "I'll do what I can to minimize the strain on you," Yuri murmured. "At the very least, if you ever need company, call. I'd be glad to hear from you at any hour."

"...Thank you." 

The conversation was lighter as they left the restaurant - talk of what the weekend had in store (not much, it seemed), and the lack of anything noteworthy happening recently during Keith's patrols, for which it was almost time. In fact, Keith had Yuri drop him off at HeroTV headquarters to save time.

When they pulled up in the lot by the side entrance, Keith hesitated. He wasn't sure what to say, except... "I had a good time on our date. ...Thank you for asking me."

"Thank you for accepting, and for confirming that it was a date." Yuri's voice sounded deadpan, but when Keith looked back to him, he was giving Keith that little smile. "I hope we can do it again, perhaps with full knowledge beforehand."

"I'd like that." And as usual, the smile was giving Keith that funny feeling - but this time, he had some idea what he could do about it. No confidence at all about what he could do about it, but certainly an idea. "Uh... and since it was a date," he began, hesitant. "Should we... uhm..."

Yuri waited, as Keith fumbled for the words. "Although neither of us have much firsthand experience," he said at last, finally giving Keith a reprieve, "I've heard rumors that there is a customary ending to dates."

Before Keith could reply, Yuri had leaned in, touching Keith's cheek, coaxing his head to turn to just the right angle for a kiss. Not a particularly long kiss, or a deep kiss... just a soft, reassuring kiss that was almost over before Keith recognized that it was really happening - and definitely over much too soon.

Keith's hand began to rise in unconscious wonder as he sat there, staring back at Yuri, whose smile grew just a little wider. "It's a shame you're always hidden behind a helmet when you're on the air," Yuri remarked. "You have a smile to rival any I've ever seen on television."

Was he smiling? Keith smiled wider when he realized he was. "I'm sure it's not as interesting as yours." Because while Yuri's smile wasn't bright or broad, Keith found it absolutely fascinating. In fact, he was tempted to lean over and kiss Yuri again... 

But it was already late - they'd been too long at the restaurant. Keith sighed. "I need to get into my hero suit," he said, glancing back at the building.

"I suppose you must," Yuri agreed as Keith got out of the car. "Good night - I hope your patrol is as peaceful as it has been lately."

"Thanks," Keith said, leaning down to speak to him before closing the car door. "...And thank you again, Yuri. For everything."

"You're welcome - it's no trouble at all."

Keith straightened, closing the car door. ...Yuri's smile had seemed different somehow, just for a moment. It was probably just the lighting, he supposed, as he turned to head inside.

Karina was on her way out, having taken the previous patrol shift, and though she looked annoyed, it vanished at once as she did a double-take at the sight of him. "Hey, why are you all dressed up?" she asked, with an intrigued smile. "Did you have a _date_ tonight?"

"Well, ah..."

"Keith, you're _blushing_ ," she told him. "You _did_ have a date tonight, didn't you? And you didn't even tell any of us! Was it that girl from before?"

"Uhh..." At least it was only Karina this time, without Pao-lin and Nathan backing her up, but Keith wasn't ready to talk about what was going on. That he'd just been out on a date with a man, not a girl, and a man they knew, even. He thought quickly, and realized he had the perfect excuse. "Excuse me, but I'm late to start my patrol!" he said quickly, and ducked around her to head for the locker rooms.

"Hey! No fair!" Karina called after him. "...Fine, we're going to get the whole story out of you tomorrow!"

Keith just smiled. After going on a date - a real date, one that had gone so well - and getting a good night kiss at the end of it, he felt like he could handle anything, even overly-helpful coworkers.

Strangely enough, when he stood out on the rooftop a short while later, taking a deep breath and looking out over the city as he always did before his patrols - and maybe it was just his mood, but the city lights seemed to sparkle even brighter than usual that night - he looked down to see that Yuri's car was still in the parking lot below. Maybe he had business with someone at HeroTV, Keith supposed. Giving them what info he could about the Lunatic investigation... something along those lines.

Although he might have liked to stay and wait, to give Yuri another kiss goodnight, Keith shot off into the night sky. Like Yuri, he had a job to do.

\---

All things considered, Yuri wasn't away from his car for long. Certainly not as long as one might have expected it would take. But then, he had spent the last two days in careful preparation, examining and considering. His planning had paid off - everything had gone exactly as he'd anticipated.

And now he had a call to make. His cell phone had been left in the pocket of his jacket, and he selected the number with one hand as he shrugged it back on. It was a number he'd never used before, but did have access to. The voice that answered sounded calm and confident, not at all like the awkward, hesitant young man who had struggled to ask for a kiss goodnight. "Sky High, at your service."

"Keith, it's Yuri."

"Ah! Yuri!" Keith's voice grew less polite, much brighter. "I was just thinking about you."

Yuri smiled to himself. "I can't say that I've been able to stop thinking about you," he replied. And he had known since they'd made the plans for dinner that he wanted to do something more for Keith than the standard first-date fare of dinner and a kiss - something more meaningful, more permanent.

"Well, yes," said Keith, sounding sheepish. "That would be an accurate way of putting it too..."

"Are you in the air now?" Yuri suspected as much, but it would be best to confirm.

"Yes, I'm still on patrol," came the reply, then a pause. "I'm surprised you knew how to reach me."

"We do keep records of the relevant numbers in the Justice Bureau directories." But he had had a reason for calling beyond idle chatter and unimportant clarifications. "Keith, please land somewhere safe for a moment. I didn't call on a whim; there's something I need to tell you."

The indecision was almost audible. "...I'm in the middle of patrol..."

"I know. It's important," Yuri told him. And though it wasn't bad news, he didn't want to risk it. "Please find somewhere stable to rest for a moment while we talk."

"All right..." Although obviously mystified, Keith apparently did as Yuri requested; Yuri hadn't recognized the background noise as wind until it had died down. "All right, I've landed on the roof of a high-rise. What is it?"

"That sounds... peaceful. I wish I were there with you." In an ideal world, Yuri would have simply found him and joined him, but that would have raised far too many questions. Even so, he would have preferred to tell Keith in person. "However, what I'm about to say is perhaps less peaceful. Lunatic has shown himself again."

Yuri could hear the sharp intake of breath. "Where?"

"Keith, stay where you are until I've finished," Yuri instructed him, and hoped Keith would obey. "...He struck at the south prison. The victim was someone you know - Bill Holtz."

There was no response. Yuri did wish he could have given Keith this news face to face; he remembered the fear in Keith's eyes earlier that week in his office, when seeing Ms. de Luca's photograph had prompted the flashbacks, and the way Keith had clung to his hand. It was unfortunate that these memories haunted him so, returning with just a reminder - even when the reminder took the form of reassurance that it would never happen again. Yuri took some comfort in the fact that the look of terror on the faces of Keith's foster father had been just as stark and severe as the terror he had inflicted upon an innocent child. Several innocent children, in fact - but Yuri was concerned with one in particular. "Keith...?" he prompted.

"Yes. Yes, I'm all right," came the slightly breathless reply. "Just... I didn't... Give me a moment."

"Of course." Since they had a moment to spare, Yuri used that moment to pick up the mask he'd tossed into the back seat. He ignited it, watching as it was consumed by the flames, leaving no evidence behind. The rest of the costume had been burned as he'd made his escape, and the bowgun was tucked into a briefcase, now residing in his trunk. "I wanted to reach you before anyone else did," he told Keith. "If they'd called you mid-patrol and told you, without knowing the victim's significance - and you had another episode, this time in mid-air..."

"I appreciate it," Keith murmured. "I'm not having a... an _episode_ , but I'm glad I'm sitting down."

"As am I. I do wish I were there to offer you some comfort personally," Yuri said, "but I'm needed at the Justice Bureau now, and I'm sure you'll be getting another call shortly after this one's ended."

"Yes, they'll want us to have a look around." Keith took a deep breath, and let it out. "Thanks for the warning."

"No trouble at all," Yuri assured him. Another call was trying to ring through, and he could guess who it was. "I need to go now, Keith. Be careful, and call me if you need to talk."

"I... might," he admitted. "But we both have responsibilities for now. Tomorrow, maybe."

"Or perhaps I'll see you at the site. But tomorrow is fine," Yuri agreed. "Good night - and I'm sorry to have had to upset you so."

"No... I'm not upset. ...Exactly. And I'm glad that you were the one to tell me. I really am."

"Good..." Yuri murmured. "I wouldn't want to hurt you." On the contrary, he wanted nothing more than to hurt those who had hurt Keith. One who had brought justice to so many deserved justice himself. It was long overdue.

"You haven't. You said the other day that neither of us was to blame, and that's correct." His voice sounded a little stronger, thank goodness - more stable. "Good night, Yuri."

It was irritating that he'd had to cut the call short, but if he didn't respond to the other call, there would be questions. "Petrov speaking," he said, hanging up and switching to the incoming call.

"Judge Petrov." Just as he'd thought. "There's been an incident at the south prison. Lunatic again."

"Lunatic, hmm...?" he mused, putting his key in the ignition. "I'll be right there - I'm already downtown."


	4. Chapter 4

As always at the scene of one of Lunatic's killings, the smell of acrid smoke hung in the air, not quite strong enough to mask the smell of burned flesh. Within a prison cell, there was no escape for it; it always seemed stronger.

Keith had become accustomed to it, to a degree, after the heroes had investigated several of Lunatic's strikes. It wasn't the first time the stench had been confined to a cell, even. But this time he was a little too conscious of the smell. The body was burned beyond recognition, a disturbing sight for anyone - but there was another reason Keith couldn't look. Inside the helmet he wore as Sky High, his eyes were averted, his attention on anything but what the others were saying. At least, he was trying to block it out. He couldn't stand to listen. That body there, the smell that permeated everything in the cell block... it was _that man_. In a sense, his former foster father was all around him. Keith was breathing him in. Suffocating beneath him.

He couldn't get away. Again.

It wasn't long before he gave in. "Excuse me," he interrupted, trying to harden his voice - and speaking quickly so that maybe no one would notice any shakiness. "The attack wasn't long ago. Lunatic may still be somewhere nearby. I volunteer to survey the area, before any more time has passed for him to escape."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Fire Emblem agreed, and beside him, Rock Bison's giant horns bobbed in a nod. Keith gave them a wordless salute, and turned to leave. It was good that he had an excuse to hurry.

He headed to the rooftop at once, where he knew he'd be alone, and removed his helmet, inhaling the night air deeply. He imagined he could still smell the smoke - it was on him, it was on everything...

And he was Sky High. Former King of Heroes. No longer a little boy. Keith pressed a hand against his eyes, took another deep breath, and then put his helmet back on. He had said he was going to look for Lunatic, and that was what he was going to do.

He felt better when he was in the air. He always did - the sky was a place no one could follow him. Well... hardly anyone. Especially since everyone knew that the sky above Sternbild was the domain of Sky High. Lunatic was one of the few who dared to challenge that - and despite the fact that Keith was supposedly looking for him, he wasn't sure at all that he actually _wanted_ to find Lunatic at the moment.

Perhaps fortunately, there was no trace of him to be found anywhere. Which meant that he had to go back to the prison, report in... By the time he returned, the scene had been examined, the body removed, the other heroes mostly just tossing around ideas with the other law enforcement officials present.

Which included Yuri. They couldn't say much to each other at the scene of a crime, but when Keith simply reported that he'd seen no sign of Lunatic, Yuri did suggest that he and the other heroes go ahead and head home - there was nothing further for them to do if Lunatic had escaped, and the full reports would be dropped off in the morning. Keith was all too happy to take his advice.

John greeted him at the door, tail wagging as usual, no doubt hoping for a walk - Keith _had_ been gone since early that evening. Keith was nearing his limits, though, and couldn't bear the thought of going anywhere else that night, not even just around the block. John was paper-trained, so Keith was going to do exactly what he'd been wanting to do for hours and take a shower, then go straight to bed.

The smoke smell still clung to him - or maybe it was just his imagination, since he hadn't even been wearing the clothes he'd worn home while he was at the prison. Either way, standing there under the hot spray, Keith couldn't shake the feeling that he'd had when he was young, forced to live in the Holtz household. The feeling that he could never escape, that it was going to go on forever.

Before he could stop himself, Keith found himself crying, feeling shaky and helpless and far too exposed. He pulled the curtain back before he'd even turned off the water - he needed to escape.

The thought did occur to him to call Yuri, as he'd been invited to. But he didn't actually know the man so well as that, not really, not yet. Keith didn't know anything about him, except that he had some darkness in his past as well, and that plus a dinner date didn't mean Keith was entitled to burden him with all of this.

Instead, Keith managed to get himself into some comfortable clothes and headed for the couch, turning on all the lights and the TV despite his exhaustion. He wasn't there anymore, he told himself repeatedly. He wasn't a kid anymore.

He turned it to a channel showing cartoons anyway, because at least that channel wasn't showing the latest news, and curled up tight at one end of the couch until he was only sniffling a little. When he woke up a few hours later, John was settled at the other end, head resting on Keith's ankles, and Keith relaxed enough to reach down and give him a good pet. Having a dog sleeping on one's feet helped more than most people could ever know, unless they'd also had a dog sleep on their feet.

Though he didn't sleep particularly well, things seemed at least tolerable the next morning. Keith's back and neck may have ached a little from the way he'd slept, and he still felt wrung out, but at least it wasn't dark and quiet anymore. A glass of cold water made him feel a little more normal, and the walk that he owed John loosened up some of his tensed, sore muscles. The healthy dose of sunshine also was a pointed reminder that it was a new day - that last night was over, and that was a relief.

After that... Keith was procrastinating. Sorting through the most recent batch of fan mail, doing some little housekeeping chores... He still wasn't eager to get to the office, but eventually he had to admit that he couldn't avoid it forever.

Almost immediately upon arriving, he wished he'd stayed home. 

The records of his calls from the previous night were still in his suit's electronics, and he called one of them from his own cell phone from the otherwise-empty locker room, which was where he'd headed as soon as he read the message detailing the Justice Bureau's recommendations.

"Judge Petrov speaking."

"Yuri - it's Keith." Keith kept his voice low. He had enough distance from the situation by that afternoon that it wasn't in danger of shaking, but he wasn't exactly his usual cheerful self, either. Not after what he'd just read.

"I see. Just a moment." Yuri was talking to someone else, excusing himself from whatever he was doing. Keith hoped it wasn't important. Even if it was the Justice Bureau that had inadvertently made his day worse, he had no intention of arguing their point.

"There - much better." Yuri sounded like he was walking. "...Should I assume you're calling about the report sent to the HeroTV staff?"

"...Kind of. I don't disagree," Keith said quickly. "I understand - it makes sense. It's the right thing to do."

"But..." There was a muffled sound, perhaps a door closing. "...It also makes sense that you'd have mixed feelings about being involved. Have you told anyone about your connection to the victim?"

"No - I don't want to talk about it," Keith murmured. "No one needs to know what they did to me."

"I agree," Yuri said. "I didn't say a word - and therefore the Justice Bureau had no reason not to conclude that the top-ranked Sky High, who had been taking on the responsibility of dealing with Lunatic's actions, would be the ideal candidate to protect a woman who was likely to be another target."

Keith sighed. "You don't need to accept the assignment," Yuri assured him. "There are other options we may pursue."

"No, I'll do it," Keith mumbled. "I'll do it. I just..." He wasn't sure himself what he was doing. Except...

"Keith?" Yuri asked, when he'd fallen silent for too long.

"It's not that I didn't want to talk about it," Keith admitted. "I just didn't want to talk about it with anyone who didn't already know."

"Mmm. I understand," Yuri murmured. "Did you want company?"

"I would have liked company. But I need to leave soon, so just talking is all right too." He paused. "If you have time."

"Plenty of time," Yuri told him. "I did tell you that you could call if you needed to talk, didn't I?"

"But I know you have a busy schedule."

"Not so busy that I can't take a phone call."

Keith smiled faintly. "Thanks. I just..." The smile faded almost immediately. "I don't know what I... I mean..." Though he thought he wanted to talk about it, he had no idea what he was trying to say.

Yuri was waiting patiently, though, and Keith swallowed his uneasiness. "Last night," he began, "everything he did to me came rushing back. I never thought I'd have to think about it again, or that I'd ever see him again."

"I understand - memories can be powerful," said Yuri. "But think of this, also - he can never hurt you again, or anyone else. He's gone, Keith. You're free."

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to say I'm free," Keith sighed. "Not when I could be so afraid, even standing right there with his lifeless body in front of me."

"Only a memory," Yuri reminded him. "As terrible as they can be, they are in the past. You are in the present - and you have the future to look forward to."

Keith nodded absently. "...You're right. But in the present, and in the near future, I'm going to have to see Amy Holtz. Bill was the one who did most of the beatings," he murmured, "but Amy... she was the one who made me feel I deserved them. I was just an ungrateful brat, I should have thanked them for taking me in and showing me some guidance for a change, I'd never make anything of myself unless I did as they said - and for a very long time, I believed her. ...Even now," he admitted, "I can hear her in the back of my mind, telling me to stop whining and get to work, or I'll be sorry."

"Hmm..." Yuri hummed sympathetically. "Keith, you don't need to accept the assignment if it upsets you - and you don't need to tell them why. In fact, I had recommended Rock Bison for the job; he would perhaps be a better fit, defensively speaking, and your abilities would permit you to continue your patrols. However, my colleagues expressed a belief that while Rock Bison might have been able to defend against Lunatic, should he appear, you would be the most likely to be able to capture him."

"And they're right." He was really the only one suited to the task. Rock Bison was second to none defensively, but had limited offensive capabilities and mobility. Fire Emblem had the raw power to bring in someone at Lunatic's level, but given that they both used flames, his power was not so effective as it would have been with anyone else. Blue Rose's ice couldn't hold up to Lunatic's fire, and no matter how talented she was when dealing with groups of ordinary criminals, she was still young and relatively inexperienced when it came to one-on-one battles with other NEXT. If Barnaby and Wild Tiger had still been present, they might have been a better choice than Keith himself - but the Justice Bureau no longer had the option. "Again, I'll do it. It _is_ my duty."

"It isn't your duty to torment yourself."

"It is my duty to protect any citizen of Sternbild who needs my protection. I _am_ Sky High, after all." Telling himself that made the other voice in his head fade away - even if they were saying approximately the same thing.

"You do sound better now," Yuri acknowledged. "More like yourself - or at least like Sky High. But Keith, I would caution against pushing yourself too hard. She hurt you enough already - and I don't want to see her hurt you again."

"I'm not a little boy anymore." Keith felt stronger the more he considered it. "I know she was wrong about me - and I was wrong about her. In fact, our situations are reversed now. I'm the one who's strong, and responsible for her - because now, she's the powerless one."

"Keith..." Yuri sounded curious. "You're not considering using the opportunity for revenge, are you?"

"What?!" The suggestion snapped Keith out of his steely determination, leaving him wide-eyed and astonished. "Revenge? No! Of course not. I'm a hero," he told Yuri. "I would never abuse my position. I just..." It was hard to explain what had been going on in his head. "I think that seeing her now might help me to put it all to rest... seeing for sure that she was in the wrong."

"She most certainly was," Yuri agreed softly. "And no one could fault you for wanting to see her hurt, after how much she hurt you."

" _I_ could." Keith was sure of that. "...I'm a hero, Yuri. All I meant was that... Again, I'm a hero. I'm no longer a victim. I accept this assignment, just as I'd accept any other."

"...Very well," Yuri said finally. "I see that you're determined. In that case, I will simply hope that you're right about no longer being a victim. ...You might have noticed I've taken an interest in your wellbeing," he added, more dryly.

"Heh..." The reminder brought Keith back down to earth, at least a little. "Yes, I had."

"I'll also hope that I can see you again soon," Yuri continued. "I'd thought we might get together tonight - perhaps a bit soon, what with our first date being only yesterday, but the rest of the night was obviously hard on you. You deserve some relaxation, and maybe to be spoiled a little bit."

Keith smiled slightly. "Maybe I do... But not tonight. After this assignment has run its course, then I can see you again."

"Perhaps we'll be fortunate, and it'll run its course quickly," Yuri suggested.

"Maybe..." Keith didn't expect that to be the case. "I should get ready to leave," he said reluctantly. "But thank you for listening, Yuri. And thanks for your willingness to help me out of this assignment, if I didn't want it. I appreciate it. But I don't deserve special treatment."

"It's not special treatment - I'd have advised against any hero with a complicated personal connection to a subject being the one to handle it," Yuri pointed out. "If Blue Rose or Fire Emblem or any other hero came to me with a similar dilemma, I would have found a way to assign someone else in their place."

"I guess that's true..." Heroes were supposed to keep their personal lives separate from their private lives - up until Maverick had announced Barnaby's life story while the city was being held hostage by Jake. It had been a shocking thing to do at the time - even the other heroes hadn't known, and Keith had been impressed by Barnaby's bravery in letting his pain be made known to the public. He would never have wanted such a thing to happen to him.

And so for now, the scared little boy named Keith Palmer, as well as the capable but shaken man named Keith Goodman, needed to take a back seat to Sky High. "If anything happens, you'll be one of the first to know whether I call you or not," he told Yuri. "But I _will_ call you."

"Thank you," Yuri murmured. "And Keith... if you do wind up confronting Lunatic, please be careful. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you just while we're getting to know one another."

The idea that someone might actually care what happened to him - other than John - was a welcome, surprisingly warm feeling, and it made Keith smile, feeling much better already. "I can't afford to hold back," he said honestly, "but I won't take any risks I don't have to. I promise."

"I suppose that's the most I could ask from Sky High," Yuri acknowledged.

"Exactly," Keith said with a nod. "Thank you again, Yuri... I'll talk to you later."

"We will," Yuri agreed. "Take care."

"You too."

Now that it had all been decided for good, Keith opened his locker and began to change into the protective inner layer he wore beneath his hero suit. He had a job to do, and the sooner he got started, the safer Sternbild would be - and if he happened to find some kind of closure during this assignment, so much the better.


	5. Chapter 5

When Keith arrived at the prison where he was to carry out his assignment, something had clearly already gone wrong. Alarms were going off, personnel were locking everything down, and there was a great deal of shouting. Immediately Keith's guard was up, and he started for the corridor leading to the maximum security wing without bothering to check in at the station; it wasn't if they wouldn't recognize him, or weren't expecting him.

"Sky High! Thank goodness," one of the guards exclaimed at the sight of him, rushing over. "It's Lunatic - he's already here!"

"Already?" Keith could hardly believe it - striking the next target so quickly, exactly the target they'd predicted, in broad daylight? It didn't seem like Lunatic's usual way of doing things. But indeed, there were blue and green flames flickering at the end of the hallway he was being ushered down; several guards were having no luck whatsoever in their attempt to extinguish them.

"We'd put Mrs. Holtz in solitary to keep the risks to other prisoners at a minimum, and to make your job easier," the guard told him as they hurried along. Keith could see now that Lunatic's fire had melted right through a secured door. "But he just appeared out of nowhere, went right in like he knew - no one here could stop him, and..."

The problem was obvious. Further down the hall was a secondary set of doors, or there had been. Like the first set, they had been blasted through, and a line of flame had sprung up in their place. No one could pass.

No one except someone who was wearing a hero suit tested for such extreme conditions. Keith nodded and stepped forward, forgetting any misgivings he'd had about the job. It was, after all, his job. "I'll handle it," he assured the guard, and dove in, passing through the fire that kept the rest back with only momentary discomfort, a surge of nearly unbearable heat.

By now, the other heroes had been alerted, no doubt, and he'd have backup shortly. But there was no time to waste, if Lunatic had gotten there ahead of him. At least the building was largely steel and concrete; not so much to burn, not so much smoke that he couldn't find his way. Occasional impasses where there had once been a door or a gate, now fueling another wall of flame, but his suit could withstand the heat of even Lunatic's fire for short periods of time. Keith barely let them slow him down, though the less flame-retardant, fabric elements of his costume were singed and smoking.

Though Lunatic's likely target was far from the only person in the solitary confinement portion of the prison - the others in surrounding cells were shouting for help and demanding release - it was easy to find her, and by association, Lunatic. All Keith had to do was follow the flames until he spotted them. There before him was a room with fire licking around the remnants of what had once been a door, and a shadowy figure standing tall within. Keith didn't think - he just burst in.

...It had been more than ten years since he'd seen her, and she looked as though she'd aged considerably more than that, but he still recognized her at once. At the moment, he couldn't spare much time to think about it, because just as much, he recognized that he was not only looking at his former foster mother, but a woman who was terrified and trapped - a woman who had a fiery bolt pointed right at her.

"Don't interfere," Lunatic told him, the bowgun not budging when Keith lunged forward, placing himself between Lunatic and his intended victim. "Such deeds as this woman has done cannot remain unpunished."

"She _is_ being punished," Keith stated. "She's been in prison for more than a decade already. Kept apart from her husband - who you murdered. I _cannot_ allow you to take her life as well."

"I cannot allow anything less than justice in this matter."

"She has never killed anyone," Keith retorted. "How can you consider this justice?"

"The ramifications of what she has done linger to this day," Lunatic replied. "The scars her words and deeds left upon innocent children persist to adulthood. Death is merciful, compared to her legacy."

Keith couldn't exactly argue with most of that. He understood all too well. More than that - maybe he understood well _enough_. "...Who are you?" he murmured. "Were you one of those she hurt?" Though the cycle of abuse in the Holtz household had begun well before he'd arrived with them, there had been other children in the household already when he'd arrived, who moved on shortly after - two brothers named Josh and Mike. He'd never seen Bill hit them, but they had warned Keith to do what he was told, like they knew what would happen if he didn't. They had been treated the same way, and there had been others before them. Some of them had spoken, as he had, at the trial. It could be that he _knew_ Lunatic.

"It does not matter." Lunatic shook his head slowly, set himself. "Justice must be served. Stand aside."

"I will not." Sky High, as always, could not be shaken. He could, however, be curious and sympathetic. "You were affected by what she and her husband did, weren't you? Talk to me... I'll listen."

"I have no need to talk. And you have no need to defend the indefensible."

Suddenly, the bowgun's tip jerked to the side, and Keith started to move before actually comprehending why. Behind him, Amy Holtz had taken advantage of their discussion to start inching towards the hole that had once housed a door - and now that Lunatic had noticed, she'd taken off running. She didn't have a chance, of course, unless Keith could stop Lunatic. She couldn't go through the flames like he had in order to reach them. Though it was dangerous, given how Lunatic had responded to his powers in the past, Keith gathered the winds to blow back towards Lunatic, surrounding him in a whirlwind. This time, the whole gust didn't ignite, but a small flame erupted, clearing a path for Lunatic to dart past in pursuit of his prey.

Keith leapt into midair and followed, his jetpack giving him an extra burst of speed as they entered the wider corridor, and he managed to twist mid-flight as he caught up, reaching out to intercept and tackle. Somewhere ahead of them, Amy screamed as the bowgun discharged, the bolt flying harmlessly into the wall as the weapon itself was dropped in the struggle.

"Talk to me!" Keith insisted, as he attempted to wrestle Lunatic to the floor. "Why did you kill Bill Holtz? Why are you trying to kill her?"

"Doubtless you were informed of what they inflicted on their foster children," Lunatic hissed, trying to squirm free from Sky High's grip; Keith wasn't sure why the outer trappings of his hero suit hadn't already been set on fire. "Why are you trying to stop me?"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" A flare-up from the eyes of Lunatic's mask caused Keith to instinctively let go, drawing back - just enough for Lunatic to free himself and dive for the bowgun. Rather than trying to beat him to it, Keith also dove to get between Lunatic and Amy, who had flattened herself back into a corner, unable to pass one of the barricades of flame Lunatic had left in his wake. Though he'd told Yuri on the phone that perhaps it might give him some sort of satisfaction or closure to see her in such a sorry state, he discovered he'd been wrong. She'd lost weight, there were lines in her face, she was wearing a standard issue prison jumpsuit, she was afraid rather than angry... and the sight of her still made him want to duck his head, avert his eyes.

In this case, he had a perfectly valid reason to do so, and he turned to Lunatic. "Lunatic..." Keith said urgently. "I'm listening. Anything you have to say about this woman - just tell me. I might understand more than you would expect."

"You have no idea." The bowgun recovered, Lunatic was kneeling before him, aiming up at his chest. "Sky High... please, step aside."

"No, _you_ have no idea," Keith insisted, standing his ground. "Lunatic... you're not the only one. We can talk about this, we can help."

"That is exactly what I'm doing."

Keith was confused. "...What do you mean?"

Lunatic said nothing, the wide painted eyes of his mask simply staring up at Keith. Keith simply stared back. Amid the roar of flames and the shouts of the prisoners and the blaring of alarms, they were silent.

The tension between them was abruptly broken by a voice Keith knew - frantic, but with a furious edge he knew too well. "What are you waiting for, you idiot?! Aren't you supposed to be a hero? He's crazy, he's trying to kill me - quit talking and _stop him_!"

Keith went rigid at the sound of her voice. His throat felt like it was closing up. He didn't want to be there, he wanted to be _anywhere_ else, and his eyes squeezed shut, trying to wish himself far, far away... until she was gone.

A split second later, the sudden burst of heat so near made his eyes open wide - to see a spent bowgun aimed just to his left.

He turned to see her engulfed by the flames. This time, his eyes didn't close. he was watching as her skin blistered and blackened, her ruined body collapsing to the floor and withering. He couldn't look away.

"Sky High! Sky High! Please respond - what's happening in there? Sky High!"

The voice coming in through the receiver in his helmet was only dimly heard, and he wasn't paying attention. The screams were unlike any he'd ever heard from her in his youth, and even though they'd now ceased, he could still hear them.

"Damn! Someone get in there, right now! Sky High, if you can hear me, say something! What just happened?"

It was Agnes. He could comprehend that much, though he couldn't find his voice. Not with the screams echoing in his head, the body against the wall, finally still but still burning. He couldn't talk. He couldn't _breathe_.

He wasn't sure how long it took before he wasn't alone - until someone else was at his side. There was a startled gasp. "...She's dead," Blue Rose reported to those outside. "Lunatic did get her... and I found Sky High. Sky High... are you all right?"

Not in the slightest. "...I failed," he managed. "I failed." And he couldn't even say he knew why. It could have been because he was distracted, but... deep down...

"Sky High..." Blue Rose murmured.

Rock Bison was next on the scene, and though he asked after Keith too, there was only one thing Keith understood well enough to articulate at the moment. He'd failed. ...He hadn't protected her. He'd failed. Blue Rose rested a hand on Keith's arm as she turned to go, but Keith paid it no mind. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. He'd just let a woman die, right before his eyes... He'd let someone down, _again_ , when he'd sworn it would never happen again - and even worse, he didn't know what had happened, how he could have let it happen...

Nothing happening around him really registered until someone stepped directly in front of him, taking him by the shoulders, looking into his eyes, and quietly murmuring his name. "Keith..."

"Y-Yuri..." The deliberate disruption startled Keith out of his circling thoughts, and he gulped in a deep breath.

"How are you feeling?" Yuri asked softly.

"I..." Keith wasn't sure, except that his heart was beating in his ears, and everything seemed fuzzy. "I'm going to pass out," he mumbled, and took another deep breath. "Or be sick..."

Yuri took him by the arm, tugging him away from the body and the flames and out of the scene. "I was afraid something like this might happen," he murmured, guiding Keith... somewhere else. Keith couldn't reply to ask what he meant - too busy trying to keep his head and his stomach in order - and then Yuri was closing a door behind them. "Sit down," he suggested, offering Keith an arm to help lower himself to the floor, and Keith settled down with his knees drawn up, head resting on his folded arms atop them. "Try to relax..." Yuri's hands came to rest on his shoulders, but they were pulling on him strangely. "...How does this helmet come off?"

"Nngh..." Keith had forgotten he was even wearing it - no wonder he felt stifled and suffocated. He managed to find the latch that released it from the rest of his armor after a little dizzy fumbling, and then Yuri was lifting it off his head, setting it aside, letting the cool air reach him as he gasped.

"It's all right now," Yuri told him. "You're safe. You're with me... Just breathe." A hand rested against his cheek for just a moment, then withdrew. Something settled beside him with a hollow rattling sound. "In case you need it," Yuri murmured, and there was water running somewhere above.

The cold water running over his cheeks and nose shortly afterwards, dripping down from the wet cloth pressed against his forehead, felt like drops of pure mercy. Keith took another deep breath, this time letting it out in a slow sigh. After a little longer, he could raise a hand to brush the water from the tip of his nose, breathing easier. "Feeling any better?" Yuri asked.

Keith nodded faintly. "Thanks," he whispered. "I can take this..."

Yuri let him have the cloth - or rather, Keith recognized now, a wet paper towel. Either way, it was wet and cold and felt good against his skin, and Yuri's hand stroked lightly through his hair instead. "I'd ask if you'd like a drink," he said, "but I'm afraid there are no cups available."

"Nnn." Keith wiped the paper towel over his brow, then across his cheeks as he lifted his head to look around at a somewhat dirtier room than he might have expected, shelves full of large cardboard boxes and a sink splattered with old paint. "Where are we...?"

"In a janitorial supply closet."

In retrospect, that was fairly obvious, from the mops and brooms leaning against the sink, and the old, stained bucket that Yuri had left beside him. "...You don't belong in a place like this," Keith mumbled.

"Neither do you," Yuri assured him. "But it was a convenient place for you to get that helmet off so you could get some air, as well as some privacy."

Yuri was kneeling on the dirty floor with him. Running his fingers through Keith's sweaty hair. "But you," Keith told him, uncurling a little as he calmed. "You're wearing a suit. You seem so..." Keith wasn't sure how to say it. "...Spotless."

Yuri gave him a small, tight smile and shrugged. "I'll take that as a compliment. But although I may present myself as the immaculate sort, I've found that being an agent of justice sometimes means getting up to one's elbows in filth."

"...True." There had been incidents that had left him with the urge to shower for hours. The one the night before, for instance - Keith found it hard to believe it had been only the night before. And then this one... Keith squeezed the paper towel above his head, letting the water drip down into his hair, cool the rest of his head, before he wadded it up in his hand. "Yuri, I... I failed. I didn't save her..."

"It's all right," Yuri murmured, scooting closer, resting a hand on Keith's knee.

"It's not all right," Keith insisted, feeling the panic rise again. "I swore I would never let anyone down again - but I did, I let her die-"

"Lunatic arrived before anyone expected." Yuri's voice was calm and soothing. "You had no time to prepare."

"I should have had plenty of time," Keith told him. "I almost did stop him. I thought I might even be getting through to him. But then... she yelled at me, and I just... froze up."

Yuri sighed softly, running his fingers through Keith's hair again. "I should have refused to let them assign you this job," he said, his other hand coming to rest on Keith's shoulder. "I suspected that seeing her again might upset you more than you expected."

Keith shook his head, bowing it again. That wasn't it at all. "I could have managed seeing her," he acknowledged. "But..."

"I'd also been concerned about what might happen if you were unable to stop Lunatic," Yuri added. "You've had a difficult enough time recently - but Keith, you can't blame yourself," he assured Keith, letting his hand come to rest at the back of Keith's neck. "You are not responsible for her death. Lunatic was the one who took her life. If there is any guilt to be had, the burden falls upon him."

Again Keith shook his head. "It was me. I could have saved her, but I froze."

"Because she shouted at you."

It was terrible. It was unforgivable, but... "...Everything happened so quickly," Keith murmured, "I can't be sure." And now, he felt so awful about it, he couldn't stop himself from saying it. He lifted his head again, looking up fearfully. "...Yuri... Do you remember when you told me earlier... you couldn't have blamed me if I'd wanted to see her suffer?"

"Yes..."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I do."

"Because..." Keith took another deep breath. "...I don't know what happened, exactly. It was like my mind turned off - I don't remember what I was thinking, or feeling... If I was thinking or feeling anything at all other than... I wanted her to not be there. So I can't help wondering if... if in that moment, it wasn't that I couldn't move... but that I... _didn't_ move." 

"Keith..." Yuri murmured.

"What if it was a choice?" Keith said faintly. "What if I _did_ choose revenge?"

Yuri didn't say anything for a moment, just taking Keith's head in his hands gently. "That doesn't sound like you," he said finally.

"It... _shouldn't_ sound like me." Keith closed his eyes miserably. "But what if it's the truth...?"

He didn't know what kind of answer he was looking for, whether reassurance or condemnation or denial. He was a hero - even if that way of thinking was understandable, for him it wasn't allowed. The answer he received was nothing he might have expected; Yuri's fingers tightened in his hair, gripping tightly and lifting Keith's head, leaning forward to kiss him.

This kiss wasn't the kind Yuri had given him the night before, sweetness and innocence, but a harder, firmer, hungrier kiss, pressing against his mouth insistently. Taken by surprise, Keith started to draw back... but only for a moment. The kiss took his breath away, made his heart pound for an entirely different reason than it had been pounding only a few minutes before. Keith couldn't stand to think about it anymore, and the way Yuri was kissing him proved beyond any doubt that at least one person didn't think he was a monster. Yuri accepted him even if he _had_ done what he may have done, and Keith drank in that acceptance. He kissed back, pulled Yuri closer, and let himself drown in it.

Yuri groaned softly as the two of them shifted, Keith stretching out one leg so Yuri could straddle it to get closer, until Keith had to lean back against the wall. Yuri's hands went to his sides, then his hips, and Keith's gloved hands flattened on Yuri's shoulders, pressing against firmer muscle than he might have expected beneath the fine fabric of the suit. Though Yuri's touch was gentle, his grip was firm, and Keith sighed in relief. Yuri had him, he was holding him, kissing him open-mouthed and confident, and Keith could let it all slip away and just... yield. To everything Yuri wanted. Yuri would take care of him... make him feel better... 

Because there was no denying that he felt better with Yuri's body pressed against his own, his arms around Yuri's waist, leaving him unable to think of anything but the way they fit together, and how much better they would fit together if he wasn't wearing his hero suit. He had never let himself really _want_ anyone this way in his entire life, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting Yuri now, when Yuri so obviously wanted him. 

Too soon - far, _far_ too soon - it ended. Yuri turned his head away, breathing heavily. "...Pity we don't have a more convenient place."

He'd never been kissed like that before, touched in such a way - even through the stiffness of the hero suit, the way Yuri had touched him left Keith's neglected body aching for more. He couldn't care less where they were. "...Yuri..." was all he could manage to whisper, almost a plea.

Yuri was still straddling Keith's leg, and he leaned in, resting against Keith's shoulder and slipping an arm around the small of his back to hold Keith in a close embrace, nuzzling against his neck above the armor as he caught his breath. "...They'll be wondering where Sky High has gone," he murmured.

"Mmm..." Keith reluctantly agreed, his hands stroking Yuri's back fitfully. He'd almost managed to forget the situation, and having it come back now was the last thing he wanted. It was more manageable now, with his attention drawn mostly elsewhere and the sounds and sights he'd seen drowned out by the feeling of having been kissed like that. Still, a feeling of dismay settled over him as he remembered. "...I don't know if I can face anyone. Whether it was by accident or by choice, I didn't save her."

"Not to belittle your unprecedented sense of responsibility," Yuri told him, still settled comfortably against him, "but you can't save everyone, and-"

"I _know_ that." It came out bitter and frustrated.

Yuri lifted his head to look at Keith, questioning silently, and Keith sighed, pressing a hand against his head. "I... when I became a hero, I thought... I made a vow. I was certain that _now_ , with the powers I'd been granted - surely I could protect anyone who required protection. I'd never fail to protect someone again."

"Again?"

Keith hadn't talked about it with anyone. Never since the verdict had been decided, in part thanks to his testimony. But Yuri was here with him, taking care of him, being so patient with him - and maybe it was time Keith talked about it, after hiding it for so long. "I... before I was placed with Bill and Amy," he began, "I... I had a younger brother. And..."

That was all he could say. His throat tightened again, his hands clenched against Yuri's back. Perhaps understanding, Yuri stroked his hair lightly, helping him to calm. "You don't need to tell me," he said quietly. "Certainly not now. You just relax. We need to get back to the scene. Or better yet, I can return - you can go home. I'd rather you didn't push yourself any harder today."

"I don't want to go home," Keith admitted. "Unless you come with me." For more of this holding and petting and comforting, or... more.

Yuri nodded against his shoulder, but pushed himself up to a kneeling position in front of Keith. "Regardless, Sky High's work here is through for the day. Perhaps tomorrow he can give an account of what happened, but there's no need for that right away. You're free to go, or to stay right here until you're feeling more capable - but you are not returning to the solitary confinement wing. By order of the Justice Bureau, you are released."

If Keith had been feeling stronger, he would have argued the point, but as exhausted and vulnerable and... wanting... as he was, he could recognize that there was nothing much he could add to the investigation as he was. Discussing what had happened would only upset him. Even thinking about it was making him feel sick again. He just nodded.

Yuri leaned forward to kiss him again, then another press of his lips against Keith's forehead. "I'll tell them you were shaken by the incident, and so I took your report privately and dismissed you. You can give the report tomorrow with no one the wiser."

"All right," Keith agreed, and looked up at Yuri, giving him a pleading look as Yuri stood, brushing the dust of the floor from his knees. "But will you come over tonight, when you're done? Please...?"

"If it's what you want," Yuri agreed, offering Keith his hand. Keith didn't try to stand, but just took hold and held it as Yuri added, more quietly, "I think I might do anything for you."

Keith nodded - he'd been thinking similar thoughts. "...In a way, it's frightening."

"Terribly frightening," Yuri acknowledged with a brief, slight nod, and he turned his head away, towards the door, as he released Keith's hand. "But I am not a man unaccustomed to confronting his fears."

Keith had gotten that impression. And now, it made him wonder. "Yuri," he spoke up again, while Yuri's hand was reaching for the door's latch. "If I... If I tell you about my brother... will you tell me something?" He knew it was a lot to ask, and yet... "I feel like you know me so well... but I know hardly anything about you."

"It _is_ only fair, isn't it...?" Yuri hesitated. "Yes - I'll tell you something."

Somehow, that left Keith feeling more relieved about everything. "Thank you."

Yuri turned back, giving him a small, comforting smile, but said nothing more before opening the door to go.

Keith remained sitting on the floor a little longer, then got up to splash more water on his face. Eventually, he could stand to put the helmet back on, at least long enough to open the door, get his bearings, and on his way out, apologize to Agnes and the prison's head of security for his unfortunate reaction to the afternoon's events, assuring him that all would be addressed tomorrow. 

Tomorrow seemed like a very long time away. If Yuri did come by later, perhaps they could make that into a good thing.


	6. Chapter 6

It didn't take long after arriving home for Keith to get himself physically in order - showered, into fresh, comfortable clothes, and reasonably relaxed. John didn't seem to notice that anything was out of the ordinary at all, behaving just as affectionately as he ever did, and that helped a lot with the last. Keith couldn't help but smile a little at the wide grin and wagging tail. No matter how terrible he felt about himself, it wasn't John's fault, and he owed John a walk.

He owed John rather a lot, actually, and a walk was the least he could do.

The melancholy awareness of his failure remained even while they walked through the busy streets, everyone in Sternbild seemingly out on their way to enjoy their Saturday evening. The memory remained in the back of his mind, settled like a weight determined to pull him down, even before he passed one of the giant screens mounted on the side of a building, updating everyone on the latest news about Lunatic.

"These unexplained attacks do nothing to further Lunatic's reputation," a consultant was saying. "When he was executing murderers, the people of Sternbild could at least understand his logic, whether or not they agreed with it. But now, these seemingly random killings? It makes it appear that he's lost his focus. Many people who used to empathize with, if not necessarily **condone** his actions, are now becoming uneasy. Without an explanation behind these last killings, what are people to think? Incarcerated criminals are less troubling, more reminiscent of previous attacks - but if he could kill a mere prostitute, or even a judge, who's to say he won't go after anyone who he believes to have committed some unpardonable sin?"

Still no one had informed the media that there was a plausible connection between the victims, just as Yuri had said. Keith could have reassured them. But then, he didn't know how much further the connection might go, if there were other potential victims. The Justice Bureau was looking into it, he supposed - going over the records and seeing who the children were who had been placed in that particular household, by order of that particular judge, ignored by that particular social worker. If Lunatic even had any further targets in his current vendetta, which he might not, perhaps they would be able to determine who the next targets would be.

Not that Keith could necessarily protect them even if they were identified. He hung his head, walking on.

"We can rest assured, however, that HeroTV is on the case. The heroes have been working closely with the Justice Bureau to get to the bottom of these incidents."

"Closely..." Keith sighed. Though initially he'd wanted Yuri to come home with him, perhaps to finish what they'd begun in the closet... he was beginning to rethink it all. He didn't want to talk about his guilt anymore. He didn't want the reminder. Distraction, that might have been a better idea, but he didn't want to move too fast. Especially not while he knew _he_ , at the very least, was so emotionally fragile.

But as he had invited Yuri over, he stopped on the way back to pick up some refreshment. Something to help them relax, because he, at the very least, needed it.

His timing seemed to have improved since that afternoon; upon his return, he spotted Yuri knocking on his door. Despite his misgivings, Keith did feel a little better just seeing him there, seeing that he'd really come. "Yuri," he spoke up, and waved as Yuri turned to look and smiled at the sight of him.

"I see you're managing all right," Yuri remarked, once he'd drawn closer. "I hurried over once I was finished with my tasks, just in case."

"It helps that I always have a friend to come home to," said Keith, patting John's back fondly before unlocking the door. "I never come back to an empty, quiet apartment. And John is glad to see me, no matter what has happened."

"As am I," Yuri murmured, following Keith inside. "But if you have company enough, I can go."

"No, stay." Keith leaned inside the kitchen long enough to put the bag containing his purchase on the counter, then turned back to Yuri. "I might have company _enough_ , but if it's you, it's not too much."

"If you say so," Yuri agreed with a nod. "Myself, I tend to prefer a solitary environment to collect my thoughts. Though lately, I'm not so certain."

"Oh...?" Keith motioned for Yuri to come with him, to sit down on the couch as he turned on some lights.

"I've spent a great deal of my life cultivating my privacy," Yuri acknowledged. Though he did sit, he retained a businesslike posture rather than relaxing, back straight, leaning slightly forward, his hands folded before him. "...I apologize if this sounds inappropriately forward, but lately I find that I may not necessarily be averse to inviting someone in."

Keith let that thought settle over him, feeling a warm and comfortable glow as he considered Yuri's meaning. "Forward, perhaps," he replied, "but not inappropriate."

"Unlike certain actions on my part this afternoon." Yuri's expression was businesslike as well, neutral, with his eyes focused somewhere in front of him. "I'm afraid I was a bit carried away in the moment."

And there - the subject had been touched on. Sitting beside him, Keith folded his hands as well, simply staring down at them. He still had mixed feelings. "...I was overwhelmed at the time myself," he admitted. "But I didn't mind. I needed... something. Whatever it was that I needed, you provided it."

"That was all I wished to do," Yuri said simply. After a moment, he turned his head just enough to give Keith a sideways glance. "I hope I didn't prompt anything that you find... embarrassing, or regrettable."

Keith shook his head, feeling the color rise to his cheeks. "Not at all." The fact he was blushing seemed to indicate otherwise, however, and he turned too, giving Yuri a somewhat sheepish look. "Well, a little embarrassing, maybe... but only because I, er, didn't mind. At all. The opposite, in fact."

"I'm... glad," Yuri said quietly. "Very glad."

His voice was low, and the way he was looking at Keith out of the corner of his eye was somehow fascinating. Keith found himself biting his lower lip, recognizing just how close they might be to repeating what had happened earlier. In his apartment. On his couch.

...With John. The moment was abruptly interrupted by an impatient whine, as Keith's hands were nudged apart by a cold, wet nose shoved under them, and he looked down to find big dark eyes staring at him expectantly. "Ah... I forgot the leash, didn't I?" Keith realized, a little shakily, and reached out to disconnect it from the dog's collar. "Sorry..."

The faint sound beside him made him turn his head again, this time with less self-consciousness. One hand over his mouth, Yuri was laughing quietly. The tension was clearly broken, and Keith smiled for real, scratching behind John's jaw with both hands. "As I said, never a quiet and empty apartment."

"Thanks to you, I'm beginning to see how that could be a good thing," Yuri admitted, and reached over as well to stroke down John's back. Grateful for the attention, John let his tongue hang out happily, and Keith was pleased to see Yuri smiling as well.

"Now that the air has been cleared - of everything aside from fur," Yuri said a short while later, after John had gotten his fill of scratches and petting and wandered off to slurp water noisily from his bowl in the kitchen, "is there anything I can do for you?"

Keith shook his head, leaning back on the couch more casually. The darkness of that afternoon was still lingering, but John's antics and Yuri's presence seemed to be keeping the worst of it at bay. "I'm just glad you came by. It helps to know that you would."

"I said I would," Yuri pointed out. "But I suppose sometimes it's hard to believe in people, isn't it?"

Keith nodded slowly. "It's much easier with John. He never does or says anything he doesn't mean."

"And dogs, I have heard, are excellent judges of character," Yuri noted. "In fact, it's a relief to see that he seems to take no issue with my presence."

"I don't know why he would. You work for justice, just as I do, and you've been good to me."

"If even you sometimes doubt yourself," said Yuri, "then why wouldn't I do the same...? Though you may be more directly involved in the capture of criminals and the safety of innocents, I too bear a great deal of responsibility. My judgments affect people's lives, as well as my decisions as a part of the Justice Bureau."

"That's true..." Being a judge had to be a difficult job, full of important decisions. Keith wondered if Judge Witte ever lay awake wondering if he'd made the right decision, in certain custody cases. Like the one that had sent him, or possibly Lunatic, to a place that left his soul scarred. Perhaps it was only chance that the judge he didn't know had been the one murdered, and Yuri remained safe beside him. Or maybe Yuri just... tried harder to make the right choices. Keith couldn't say.

Distracted by his thoughts, he didn't realize that Yuri had been quiet, until Yuri suddenly spoke again. "Keith, I apologize again. I should never have allowed you to take that assignment."

"I insisted," Keith reminded him.

"I should have excused you when the subject arose at the meeting, before you'd even heard of the assignment," Yuri muttered, folding his hands again, visibly frustrated. "I didn't want to interfere - it's not my place to dictate your doings, or to air your personal business - but I should have argued against it."

"Yuri." Keith was the one to reach out this time, placing a hand on Yuri's shoulder. "I took responsibility, and I knew what that meant. It's not your fault."

"Neither is it yours." Yuri leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. "...You realize, if Lunatic had arrived only a few minutes earlier, you would have borne no responsibility whatsoever for the outcome."

"And if I had managed to subdue him, neither of us would have any reason to talk about responsibility," Keith countered. He rubbed at Yuri's shoulder with a sigh. "...And I don't think I want to talk about it now. I've been thinking about it ever since."

Yuri nodded, his expression hidden behind his hands, and the pale hair tumbling over them. "I'm sorry. I came here in hopes of making you feel better, not worse."

"You have," Keith assured him. "Just by being here."

"It's all I've wanted from the start."

"Then you've succeeded." However badly he felt about how things had gone that afternoon, it was clear that Yuri felt bad about it too, and Keith hesitated only a moment before scooting closer, so he could take Yuri's other shoulder. "You made me feel better when you took care of me this afternoon, when I felt like I was smothering. Again, you made me feel better when you came to see me this evening, like you said you would. You're doing fine."

"...Thank you."

Yuri didn't lift his head, though, or really sound like he believed it. Keith didn't really understand. But then again, Yuri didn't seem to understand just how hard it had hit him, to fail to protect someone who needed his help. Jake Martinez had done away with his belief that he was unstoppable, but being unstoppable had never been what Keith aspired to, exactly. Being unable to provide protection was far worse.

He had said he would tell Yuri, but... he wasn't so sure he was up to it after all, and it just didn't seem like the right time. His thoughts went down a different line, and after a few moments of uneasiness, he stood. "I should make sure John's dish isn't empty... I'll be right back." And that made him think of something. "Oh, and - would you like to have dinner? A different dinner, I mean," he added, considering what had made him think of it.

Yuri's head lowered, and for a second, Keith was afraid he'd upset him. But then Yuri looked up, and brushed the hair back to reveal an amused smile. "Thank you for clarifying," he chuckled. "While I'm sure John enjoys his kibble, I've never had a taste for it."

Obviously teasing, and Keith chuckled in return. "What are you in the mood for?"

"To be honest, I don't have much appetite at the moment," said Yuri.

"Me either," Keith admitted. "Maybe later, then."

While refilling John's dish, which wasn't quite empty but a little low, Keith spotted the bag on the counter. It was a good time to remember, he supposed. When he was done with the dog food, he went to the cupboards.

"If we're not eating just yet," he suggested, returning to the living room with the bottle and two glasses, "I bought this earlier, hoping you'd stop by, to give me someone to share it with." There was a tray table at the end of the couch, and he pulled it around, to set the glasses down while he opened the wine. "We can have a drink together, relax, and be comfortable..."

"Eh..." Yuri seemed mildly startled by the suggestion, and Keith paused, not yet having poured. "This is... a bit awkward," Yuri said, and for some reason, he did seem unusually flustered. " Actually, Keith, I don't drink."

"...Oh." Keith nodded; that was no reason for _Yuri_ to get flustered. _He_ was the one who had made the mistake. "That's fine, I shouldn't have assumed. Can I get you some water, then?"

"That would be good, thank you."

But even after Keith returned with the glass of water, handing it to Yuri while he poured himself some wine, the awkwardness still seemed to be hanging in the air. Yuri seemed distant suddenly, sipping at his water only briefly while gazing off towards the window, despite the fact that there was very little to see now that it was dark out. Something occurred to Keith suddenly. "I'll need to leave for my patrol in a couple of hours..." Only one glass of wine at most, then.

"You have the night off," Yuri informed him.

"I thought that was from the Lunatic investigation," Keith said. "My patrol has nothing to do with that."

"Your nightly patrol is not as important as your well-being," Yuri stated. "You've been working hard, and under unusual circumstances of late. After your uncharacteristic reaction to this afternoon's incident, I suggested that you might need more rest than you'd been getting, and Ms. Joubert agreed. So long as the heroes are not called into action, you have no obligations tonight."

As strong as Keith's determination was, to keep watch over Sternbild, he couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved. Then something occurred to him. "By that time, you'd already planned to come over."

Yuri smiled a little, distant smirk, though he didn't meet Keith's eyes. "Yes, I did."

Keith smiled too, watching him, though with a tinge of nervousness. If he was off _all night_ , and Yuri had arranged it, then... Keith wondered what he had planned, if he had planned anything at all.

He also wondered why Yuri was so distracted suddenly - that little smirk had lasted only moments before Yuri seemed to fall into his own thoughts again. "Is something wrong?" he asked finally.

"No... Not with you, anyhow, or this evening," Yuri amended absently. "I would say a great many things are wrong in general..."

Keith nodded slightly. "And that's why we do what we do," he murmured.

"Exactly." Yuri closed his eyes. "You asked, earlier, if I would 'tell you something'."

Was that what had made him go all quiet and introspective? Keith shook his head. "I was upset at the time - it's none of my business."

"Upset or not, you were correct when you said that I know much more about your past than you know about mine. Accidentally, of course, but it is the truth." Yuri took another sip of his water, and sighed, setting it down on the tray table. "I do owe you some explanation."

"Not at all," Keith assured him. "Remember, I also said that I would tell _you_ something... and I'm not sure I want to talk about it anymore." He wasn't sure he even wanted to say what it was he didn't want to talk about, even when Yuri already knew.

"Regardless, the fact remains that you know very little about me, comparatively." He hesitated. "I suppose very few people do. It's safer that way. I'm sure you understand."

Keith nodded, but said nothing, willing to just listen.

"It's strange," Yuri commented, "spending time with you. It's so simple to find information about you, to an extent. Many of your preferences are outlined in numerous articles - your favorite foods, colors, the clothes you sleep in... the name of your pet and the tricks he can perform, even how you came to adopt him..."

Keith nodded slightly. He'd told many people about the basics of acquiring John, but never the full details.

"But you can know no more of me than what I tell you myself," Yuri continued. 

"But then again, the things you read in the articles aren't very important or interesting," Keith pointed out. "Hardly anyone knows my name... fewer that I chose it."

Yuri nodded. "It's only right that you should know things about me as I know them about you. For instance, why I don't drink."

"Oh, no, that's all right," Keith said quickly. "It's not a problem - there are many reasons someone might not drink alcohol. I don't mind."

"I wouldn't have expected you to." Yuri settled back into the same folded-hands, straight-backed posture he'd adopted earlier; Keith was beginning to recognize it as defensive. "...You see, my father was an alcoholic."

"Ahh..." That made a great deal of sense to Keith.

"He was once a great man... someone I admired greatly," said Yuri. "But when he was drinking, he became someone else... some _thing_ else. He became a monster."

Keith just listened, quiet and concerned. As far as he knew, the abuse he'd endured hadn't had anything to do with alcoholism, but he knew that it was responsible for an awful lot of hurt.

"Actually, I was not subjected to the same sort of abuse you were," Yuri continued, taking Keith's hand as Keith reached out. "My role was to bear witness - it was my mother who was the victim. He would accuse her of things she'd never done, that she'd never have done. And he would... hold her down, and beat her with his fists until she couldn't move or speak..." Yuri paused for a moment, squeezing Keith's hand, and his own knee with the other, though the tone of his voice remained even. "More than once, I thought he'd killed her. He was a strong man... he could have killed her without thinking. But she told me not to resist him - she told me to hide. All I could do was... watch."

Keith wanted to apologize, maybe reach out and hug Yuri, tell him it was all right... but he hadn't heard the whole story yet. And from what he'd heard so far, there were plenty of ways this story could get worse instead of better - and the way Yuri had tensed up, his fists clenched and his eyes closed, Keith suspected that any unexpected move would be unwelcome.

Instead, Yuri opened his eyes, staring ahead almost blankly. "One day I decided to act. I took the necessary actions, and made sure he could never hurt her again."

From the way he said it, it had obviously been difficult. "That's good..." Keith murmured, hoping it was all right for him to talk. "I'm glad you could save her."

"She... wasn't saved, precisely." Yuri just kept staring straight ahead, expressionless. "The damage my father inflicted was psychological as well as physical. The doctors say she was dependent on him at the deepest level. Though she continued to live, it was in a fantasy world. To this day, she demands an extra place be set at dinner, and talks to an empty chair... or, if I care to remind her that he's no longer present, she simply... blames me."

"To this day...?" Keith couldn't keep himself from asking. "How long...?"

"It's been fifteen years," Yuri replied.

"Fifteen..." The timing only struck him a moment later; his mind was still trying to imagine fifteen years of... listening to delusions, playing along or being blamed.

"Anyhow," Yuri went on after a brief pause. "That is the darkness in my past I've spoken of. And that is why I won't drink alcohol. That man is a part of me... I fear the same monster might emerge, were I to give it an opportunity."

"...Yuri, no," Keith assured him, and rested his other hand on Yuri's leg. "You're not your father. I don't care if you drink or not, but you're _not_ your father." 

"My father was a good man, before he began to drink," Yuri said. "Who's to say what I might be, deep down inside?"

"You just... you're not your father, any more than I'm my father." Keith had had his own fears throughout his life, but at least he had always been sure of that. "My father didn't drink, and he was never a good man. But I'm not him, and I never will be."

"I'd like to think the same is true of me," Yuri murmured, looking away. "But sometimes I still hear his voice."

"I don't think that's strange," Keith told him. "I hope it isn't. You're not the only one who hears voices from the past. At the worst possible moments." Like that afternoon, even before she'd spoken for real...

"Or in the quiet moments, alone in the evenings..." Yuri's other hand came up to cover his face.

"Lying awake by yourself at night..." Keith watched, concerned. Yuri seemed to have retreated to a place within himself - likely a lonely, hostile place. He knew from experience. "Yuri... we don't need to talk about this. Unless you want to."

"...I see a common thread," Yuri remarked from behind his hand, and inhaled, lowering it to look at Keith.

"Oh...?"

Yuri nodded. "The being by ourselves. Perhaps, in protecting ourselves from further hurt, both of us have spent too much time alone."

That was a... potentially good solution, yes. Having John around had helped to cut back on those awful moments, cutting them short with a bark or the slap of a tail or the slurp of a tongue. But as much as the non-judgmental affection of a dog was welcome in mitigating what Keith felt and thought, he couldn't... _validate_ what Keith felt and thought, the way speaking with Yuri did. "Or just enough to be ready for a change," Keith suggested quietly. "I wouldn't have... enjoyed having someone around, just to have someone around..." It certainly wouldn't have been difficult, if that was what he'd wanted. As a consistently top-ranked hero, there were many who would have been happy to keep him company. It would have been a shallow sort of company, though, because there had been few he'd ever met who he might have trusted the way he'd come to trust Yuri.

This time it was Yuri who stretched out his hand, stroking Keith's cheek as it flushed slightly. There were other advantages to a human companion besides comprehension... "Somehow I knew you would understand," Yuri murmured. "I wasn't sure, at first, why I should find myself so intrigued by you, or if I should dare... but perhaps it could be _only_ you."

Everything had happened so quickly between them - Keith wasn't sure what was appropriate anymore, or what was too much or too soon. He did, however, understand what Yuri meant. "Maybe you need a hero," he murmured in reply, smiling. "Maybe only a hero can banish the ghosts of the past."

"I hope very much that's not the case," said Yuri with a faint smile of his own, cupping Keith's cheek in his hand. "Because I want to do the same for you."

That wasn't _exactly_ what Yuri wanted to do at the moment, clearly. But Keith was of the same mind - and if it had the side effect of pushing their haunted pasts into the background for the time being, it could only be a good thing. He raised a hand to touch Yuri's chin as well, and this time it was not at all unexpected, for them to both lean in, guiding their mouths to one another.

It started off soft and sweet, not unlike their first kiss in Yuri's car, but they'd had a taste of what could be earlier in the day. It was impossible for the kiss to remain innocent for long, or for their hands to remain in safe places like the crook of the neck, or the edge of the jaw; as the kiss grew harder and more insistent, heavier breaths passing between their mouths, Yuri's hands slid down over Keith's chest to his sides, working beneath the jacket he still wore from his earlier outing. Keith found his fingers buried deep in Yuri's hair, soft and thick above where it was gathered up in the customary black ribbon. He clutched at it, holding but not pulling, ensuring that Yuri's mouth remained just where it was as Yuri leaned in further, arms around Keith's back, holding them together as he reclined them both on the couch. Keith felt dizzy, light-headed, as if he'd flown too high, but that was all right. Yuri was holding him. 

Yuri's hands worked up underneath him, gripping his shoulders, and instincts Keith had never had reason to know he possessed prompted his leg to hook over Yuri's, locking their hips together. He'd never been so close to anyone, and he still wanted to get closer. "Oh, Yuri," he breathed, when Yuri's mouth retreated, only long enough to take a deep breath before kissing him again. His own hands found their way under Yuri's jacket, to the small of his back and his hips, fingers splaying out across the slim, firm waist.

He next opened his eyes when Yuri turned his head a little, breathing heavily in Keith's ear - then after a brief hesitation, raised himself up to kneel above Keith. Keith found Yuri looking down at him, disheveled, with an unfathomable expression. Keith didn't find it strange, when he couldn't imagine what his own face must look like. He couldn't begin to understand or categorize the things he was feeling, except that he wanted more. But at the same time, he had the thought that this was perhaps unusual - or perhaps not, because he had never been in a real relationship before and didn't know. Maybe they did move this quickly, and it was just because he was new to this that he was trembling not only with anticipation, but with nervousness.

Yuri seemed to be rethinking what they were doing as well. He averted his eyes, raising a hand to his mouth as he coughed faintly - and Keith saw that his fingers were trembling too. "I apologize," Yuri said, breathless. "I should never have... begun this. I should go."

"No..." Still running on instinct, Keith spoke up without thinking, tightened his grip on Yuri's hips even as Yuri began to back off further. "No, don't... Yuri, it's all right. I... I guess we may be moving too fast," he acknowledged, even though he still wasn't sure about that. "But I don't mind. I've been... I think I've been waiting for this. For you."

Yuri shook his head, reaching down to take Keith's wrists in hands that shook just as badly. "No, this is wrong. I'm sorry."

"It's not wrong," Keith told him, allowing Yuri to remove his hands from his waist. "If you don't want to go any further, we won't go any further, but there's no need to-"

"I'm sorry, I need to leave..."

 _Something_ was wrong. Yuri was frightened - there was a panicked undertone to his voice, and the way he was shaking... "Yuri, what is it? Talk to me... We can just talk," he assured him. His body obviously didn't want it to stop there, but it would relax. Even if Keith _had_ been waiting for this his whole life, he could wait longer. Whatever he had to do. "Yuri, it's all right."

"It's not all right," Yuri muttered. "I shouldn't have let myself get carried away."

"I don't mind," Keith told him. "I got carried away too." But Yuri had sat up, he was trying to straighten his tie with his shaking hands, smoothing his hair... "Yuri, if it's something I did, tell me - I'll stop," Keith insisted, sitting up as well. "Just... you don't have to go. Please don't go." It really did look like Yuri was trying to leave. He even was standing up. Keith could have dealt with stopping things there, but for Yuri to get upset and then just _leave_... Keith's throat tightened. "Stay... tell me what you're so afraid of. I'll listen. I'll do whatever you need me to do, just don't..."

Yuri looked back at him then, and this time there was an identifiable look in his eyes, strong enough that Keith caught his breath, recoiling slightly without realizing it.

That, in itself, seemed to snap Yuri out of whatever had taken hold of him. His eyes widened suddenly, exchanging anger for a stunned, startled look, which didn't last long before fading to uncertainty. "...I'm sorry," he murmured again, this time less frantic, more subdued. "I believe that's exactly what I'm afraid of."

"...Hmm?" For all that Yuri had said that Keith understood, this time he didn't understand at all.

"I don't..." Yuri began, but his voice trailed off and he sat down again, covering his face with one hand. "I'm sorry. This is... confusing. I don't want to..." He hesitated, searching for the words.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Keith wanted to reach out to him, but whatever was going on, Yuri seemed to regret what had just happened between them, and Keith wouldn't risk starting it all again.

"What I don't want to do," Yuri murmured, "is hurt you. Or allow you to be hurt."

"You haven't hurt me."

Yuri glanced towards Keith through his fingers, not meeting his eyes, but his gaze coming to rest on Keith's hands clenched anxiously in his lap. "I scared you."

That was fair. The idea that Yuri was going to go, leaving him alone again, without an explanation, had caused him to panic for a moment too. "Yes, but I know you didn't mean to."

"Did you know," Yuri said quietly, resting his head between his hands again, "that is exactly what my mother says about my father? That he didn't mean it?"

Keith froze. ...Of course.

"Maybe it didn't occur to me before," Yuri muttered, "because I wasn't thinking about it in the same terms, until just now. The idea that I could become so dependent on someone as she was, so willing to accept... anything. Any sort of terrible treatment. Or worse - that _you_ might."

"Oh..." Keith did see exactly what he meant now. "But..." And the worst part was, he realized, he couldn't argue the point at all.

"I don't think for a second that you'd ever intentionally hurt me," Yuri said. " I can't imagine you intentionally hurting anyone - it's one of the things that... drew me to you. And I can't imagine ever intentionally hurting you. But I can't help but... be concerned."

"Being hurt unintentionally still hurts," Keith added, continuing the thought.

"Yes, though one might begin to believe that it doesn't. Or that they deserved it. They do say that love is blind," he finished, with a hint of bitterness.

Keith knew about believing he deserved it... but love? That was a matter Keith didn't know much about, even secondhand. He had been in high school before he ever saw a functional relationship between adults, and then it had seemed too good to be true. His last set of foster parents had truly loved each other, and for the first year he'd been with them, he'd lived with the constant fear of an eruption, whether at each other or at him. Yuri's model for relationships had been all wrong in a completely different way - a way that must have, at first glance, at least _resembled_ the ideals of love as described by the rest of the world, selfless and forgiving.

"I... don't know what to say," he admitted finally. "Except that again, I believe we're our own selves. We have to find our own way, and it's... confusing... and as we said earlier, frightening. But if we have to find our own way, that means we're not doomed to repeat anything we've seen in our pasts. Yuri..." He turned to face Yuri more directly, and rested his hands on Yuri's shoulders. "I don't know anything about how these things work either. But I... I believe I'm in love with you," he acknowledged, his words hesitant and halting. He'd thought it, but he hadn't dared to say it aloud. It might have been too soon before. It might have still been too soon, but with Yuri so distraught and uncertain, he wanted to do whatever he could to reassure. "I couldn't say for sure - I don't know how to tell. But I _believe_ I'm in love with you... And in part, I believe I'm in love with you because I want to _try_ , no matter how intimidating it is. You've figured out why it's intimidating, and there's no way to guarantee our fears won't come true... but I'm more in love with you than I'm afraid."

Yuri didn't lift his head - only sighed deeply. He was withdrawing again, like he had earlier, Keith recognized. He wished he knew what Yuri was thinking, whether it was something he could argue, or would want to argue...

"...Yuri," he said again, after a little while. If he didn't know what he was up against, all he could do was show Yuri what he meant - and he thought he had an idea about how. "Are you afraid of heights?"

Yuri shook his head, apparently not finding the question too strange. "Good... and do you trust me?" Keith asked.

"I do," Yuri admitted. "Despite my present mistrust of my own judgment... I can't help but trust you."

He finally looked up to meet Keith's eyes, and he looked so conflicted that it hurt Keith's heart. Keith couldn't resist leaning in, kissing him only lightly before sitting up straight again, giving Yuri a fond smile. "Stay here for just a second. I'll be right back, and then I want to show you something. If you'll let me."

"I will." And that was the problem, wasn't it? The words were left unspoken, but they both knew nonetheless. 

But Keith had a plan, or at least an idea. He hadn't wanted to see anyone after leaving the prison earlier that day; he hadn't gone back to the HeroTV headquarters to change out of his hero suit, and it was still spread out over the end of his bed, where he'd left it. It was singed, some of the smaller detailing burnt off entirely from his numerous journeys through Lunatic's fire, but the mechanics of it were still in working order, including the one part that he required. The jetpack was made to attach to the jacket, however, so he might as well put the whole thing on - except for the helmet. That, he could leave behind. It was dark, and where they were going, no one would be watching.

Yuri had hardly moved since Keith had left the living room, still sitting on the couch, but now with his hands folded, looking calm, if distracted. He glanced up, curious, as he heard Keith's suddenly heavier footsteps. "Come on - let's go," Keith suggested.

"Where are we going?" Yuri inquired, though he stood without hesitation.

"Up." Keith smiled, offering his hand, and he was pleased when Yuri accepted it.

The apartment Keith lived in had been chosen partially on the basis of easy access to the roof from inside, an elevator up to the top level and then a stairwell. The landlord had signed a non-disclosure agreement after having had it explained to him that Keith would need a key for the locked door at the top, due to the line of work he was in, his unusual hours and particular specialty. Although this wasn't exactly duty, no one seemed to object to Keith's occasional comings and goings from the roof any more than through the front door, so he led Yuri up the stairs without any concern, unlocking the door and opening it into the evening air. Possibly he should have loaned Yuri a warmer coat, he thought, on such a night. But then, it wasn't as if there weren't other ways to keep warm.

"All of Sternbild seems to be out enjoying themselves tonight," Yuri remarked as they walked over to the edge of the roof, looking out at all the traffic lights and the vehicles following their paths below, the skyscrapers and monorail lines lit up above.

Even the HeroTV blimp was in the air, though Keith wouldn't be providing them with any highlights to film. "I hope we can do likewise," he said earnestly, taking both of Yuri's hands in his. "I'll understand if you're uncomfortable with the idea, but will you come flying with me?"

"Flying with you?" Yuri repeated, a slight smile crossing his lips.

Keith was hardly surprised at the smile. "Many people dream of flying. When I was a boy, I wished I could fly, so that I could get away and no one could follow." He brought their hands up, clasping Yuri's more firmly. "I can show you what it's like to fly - but only if you trust me enough to allow it."

Yuri ducked his head briefly, as if he was trying to hide his amusement - Keith couldn't think why. It may have been a child's wish originally, but it was no shame to feel the same as an adult. "By all means," Yuri said, and took a step back to regard Keith thoughtfully, though their hands remained clasped. "I trust you."

"All right." Keith gave him a confident nod, and stepped in closer, as Yuri did the same. "Hold onto me tightly," he said, enfolding Yuri in his arms, as Yuri reached up to place his own arms around Keith's neck. "But even if you let go, I'll still be holding you." Yuri nodded, and once they'd settled into a comfortable, firm embrace, Keith began to lift them off the rooftop.

"Let me know if I'm going too high for you," he added, the climb picking up speed as they rose. He'd never offered to take anyone flying with him before, but he'd done enough rescues from high places to know that there were limits to each person's ability to cope with being so far away from the ground. "And if you get dizzy, close your eyes."

As for his own eyes, they were fixed above, making sure he didn't fly too close to the monorails or the HeroTV blimp. Agnes wouldn't be pleased to find he was flying around unmasked - especially since she wouldn't be able to capitalize on any footage that might be captured of Sky High in the arms of someone who just might be a lover. If that was how things could turn out... if the two of them could manage to rise as far above the legacies left by their troubled pasts as Keith could take them above the city. It was a reversal, he thought, from the gentle way Yuri had cared for him when he was falling apart. Now it was him trying to reassure Yuri, supporting him literally as well as figuratively when his doubts showed themselves.

Soon they were high enough that there were no hazards to be concerned about above, and Keith turned his attention to looking around, checking his distance from any of the tallest skyscrapers. It occurred to him that Yuri hadn't said a thing. "Are you doing all right so far?" he asked, just to make sure. "Should I take us back down?"

"I'm fine," Yuri said, slightly breathless, and Keith looked down to see if he'd closed his eyes - there weren't many who had ever seen Sternbild from such a great height, and he suspected it might be unnerving. But when he looked, he found that Yuri still had his eyes open. He wasn't looking around, or looking down, or looking up at the starry sky.

Yuri's eyes were fixed on him, and it was Keith who caught his breath, slowing to only hover in mid-air.

"I'm not afraid," Yuri continued quietly, his words almost lost in the wind whipping around them, keeping them upright and aloft. "I have to admit, you already held my life in your hands, in a sense... and while my rational mind finds it a dangerous position to be in, tells me to be suspicious... I still believe that there is no safer place than this."

Keith wasn't entirely sure if he meant that physically or otherwise. Either way, Yuri's words combined with the way Yuri was looking at him told him what he had to do. He inclined his head, squeezing Yuri tighter, and kissed him firmly, telling him without words what he needed to know.

There were words he could say as well, though. "I'll never let you fall," he told Yuri, when they paused for a breath. "I promise... even if something goes wrong, I'll catch you. I mean that..."

"And to think," Yuri murmured, "initially I thought it was you who needed me... I'm beginning to think I had it backwards."

"No, I need you," Keith told him, carefully shifting one arm so he could stroke Yuri's hair without risk of compromising his secure hold. "I definitely need you." He also needed to kiss Yuri again, and so he did.

They couldn't get too involved, given their location. Keith needed to be able to concentrate on the winds, and a single careless move could have been disastrous. With that in mind, he forced himself to keep the kiss simple, retreating a bit when Yuri kissed harder, returning the favor gently when they'd found equalibrium. Just to make sure, he lifted his head, kissing Yuri's cheek instead, after they'd lingered for a little while. "Would you like to see more of the city from above?" he asked quietly.

Yuri nodded, finally looking over his shoulder with a faint smile. "I'd be glad to."

Yuri must have been serious about feeling safe with Keith. He didn't show the slightest bit of anxiety about their altitude for as long as Keith flew them above the city, pointing out landmarks below and constellations above in the crispness of the night air. He rolled over onto his back, letting Yuri look down without craning his neck, as he tilted his head back to watch where they were going.

But Yuri was shivering slightly, and Keith knew better than to think it was fear. It was colder flying around without his helmet, especially up so high. When he suggested returning, Yuri just nodded, and Keith rested his cheek against Yuri's as they headed for home. It kept them both a little warmer.

Heading back inside, talking softly about how small the city seemed from above, how it _looked_ like something they needed to protect, Keith decided it would be uncharitable not to offer. "...It was cold tonight," he observed, as they approached his apartment. "If you'd like to stay, it would be warmer for both of us. We don't need to do anything at all," he added. "We could just stay warm together."

"Appealing as the idea may be," Yuri acknowledged, "I don't trust myself to behave in your presence."

...Keith found he didn't object to that at all. "That's fine too," he admitted.

Yuri shook his head, turning to Keith as they stopped before his door. "We've had a surprisingly lovely evening, after such an unpleasant afternoon. If we push for too much, too soon, we might ruin it all. With all that's at stake for us both, I wouldn't dare."

"You're right," Keith supposed, somewhat reluctantly. Besides, waiting could only make it more amazing when the time was right. "Still, if you'd like to stay just a little longer and warm up..."

"Don't worry about me," Yuri assured him. "I'll manage just fine. And you?"

"I'll be fine too," said Keith. "A hot shower will help."

"That sounds like an excellent plan." Yuri sounded much more like himself now, Keith thought - and he had to admit, he felt a lot more like himself too. "So then," Yuri continued, "I should be on my way home for the night. But I hope that it won't be long until I'll see you again."

"As soon as you'd like," Keith said honestly. "Though after Monday, I'll have a schedule to work around."

"Yes, the work week does complicate things," Yuri mused. "But I'm sure we can find the time, as long as we want it badly enough."

"I do," Keith said immediately.

"As do I," Yuri agreed. Time wasn't the only thing he wanted, because abruptly Yuri was stepping closer, leaning in for another kiss - and this one was significantly deeper than those they'd shared earlier. Probably that was because it was safer in the hallway than it had been in mid-air over Sternbild, though Keith still felt enough like he was falling to lean back against his door, letting Yuri move closer, pressing against him.

It had to end when they were both out of breath. Yuri lowered his head, resting it against Keith's shoulder comfortably for a moment before straightening. "Good night, Keith. Thank you for showing me all you've shown me tonight."

"...Only because you've helped me to see clearly." Though at the moment, not so much so; Keith was still out of breath and slightly dizzy. "Good night, Yuri."

He remained leaning against the door a little longer, until he'd watched Yuri make his way out front, and then turned to unlock it. John was, as always, glad to see Keith come home again safely, and Keith was glad to see John (not to mention nuzzle against so much warm, soft fur), but he couldn't help thinking that his apartment seemed a little emptier than it had seemed when he'd come home that afternoon.


	7. Chapter 7

Sunlight through the window was what wakened Keith the next morning. He'd slept considerably later than usual, but no wonder. After the past few days, he must have needed it. And it was, after all, a Sunday - he had nothing much that needed to be done. He stayed in bed a little longer after he woke up, lying back and thinking about the strangeness of the past few days. They would have been unbearable, he thought - except that the bright moments with Yuri still made him feel warm and calm and... good. He couldn't think of a better word than that.

He just lay there daydreaming until John, who had curled up on the end of the bed, got restless. Definitely time for a walk.

Upon getting out of bed, though, Keith caught sight of his hero suit where he'd left it by the bathroom door. He supposed he should drop that off back at headquarters to be refurbished. He wasn't going to fly around with it in that condition in the daylight, so he'd need to drive... and if he was going to drive, then he'd take John with him. He hadn't been spending quite as much time with John as usual, so John deserved a special treat.

There was something else to take care of that he only remembered once he was at headquarters - he was supposed to have already given a report about the previous day's events. Good excuse to call Yuri, he decided - he'd already been wondering if he should.

Since hardly anyone was even in the offices on Sunday, Keith just used the phone at his own desk. "Good afternoon," Yuri answered. Keith could almost hear that little smile in his voice, and knew Yuri must have checked the ID before answering. "How is your Sunday going so far?"

"It's fine," Keith replied. "And yours?"

"Much nicer now that I've heard your voice." Keith wished he could say the same, but his day was possibly about to become less nice. He didn't especially want to relive what had happened at the prison the day before. "What's on your mind?" Yuri continued.

But it was part of his job, after all. "...Actually, Yuri... about that report I didn't give yesterday."

"Ah. yes - I told you you could report to me today, didn't I?" Yuri recalled. "I'd forgotten at the time what day it was."

"It doesn't matter," Keith assured him. "Weekends, weekdays - to a hero, it makes no difference. Unless it's a bad day for you - I don't mind doing it Monday."

"Well, I _could_ take your report now," Yuri told him. "Or I could tell you not to worry about it. Some of the surveillance recordings survived - unsurprising, seeing as Lunatic couldn't possibly have hidden his identity even if he'd tried. I've reviewed them, and put together a fairly clear report of the events. Lunatic broke in and cornered the victim, at which point Sky High arrived and attempted to save her. Unfortunately, after a valiant effort on Sky High's part - including an attempt to reach Lunatic on a personal level - Lunatic caught him by surprise and completed his mission."

He said it so matter-of-factly, without any sort of emotional connotation. Keith thought he might be grateful for that, because even hearing the events cited without detail brought back memories. The roaring fire, the screams of his former foster mother, the sick feeling of failure overwhelming him...

"That was the quick summary, of course," Yuri continued. "It should do, unless there are other details you'd like to report."

Without thinking, Keith shook his head as he pulled out his chair to sit down. That horrible moment of self-doubt and the suspicions that had left him reeling didn't need to go in the report. "I don't think there was anything else important..." Except maybe the way Lunatic had hesitated when facing him. Keith had already been wondering if Lunatic could have been someone he knew... But even if the person behind that mask had known Keith Palmer many years ago, he couldn't possibly have known who was inside Sky High's armor. It was probably nothing - Keith's own projection, maybe, because of his relation to the case. "No - definitely nothing important."

"Very well - then I will call the matter closed," said Yuri. "However, if there's anything else you'd like to talk about, whether it's related to HeroTV or not, I have plenty of time to listen."

There wasn't really that much Keith wanted to say, especially after being reminded of his failure. Besides, John was waiting out in the car. However, Keith didn't want to hang up on a depressing note like that. "Do you?" he pondered. "How do you spend your Sundays?"

"At home with a cup of tea, generally speaking," Yuri replied. "I rarely have anything on my agenda."

Probably alone, from the sound of things. Yuri had said he liked his solitude, though, so maybe it was exactly how he liked to spend a day off. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt for Keith to offer. "If you're not busy, then," he suggested, "would you like to join John and I at the dog park? That's where we were headed next."

"The dog park...?" Yuri sounded slightly incredulous - or maybe he just didn't understand.

"Yes - it's a safe place for dogs to play, and their owners to play with them," Keith explained. "It might be a little bit noisy, but I find it refreshing to be out in the sunshine, watching all the dogs relaxing and having fun. Especially John, of course."

"Naturally." Yuri hesitated. "I suppose that I could stand some fresh air and sunshine. Or at least the sunshine - we enjoyed a great deal of fresh air last night."

Keith felt better already, now that they were talking about happier things. "All right. Will I pick you up this time?"

"You're at the office, aren't you? I'm afraid I'm a bit out of the way."

"I don't mind," Keith assured him. "John likes going for a drive with the windows down, too, and it's not too cold for that. Where do you live?"

"Out in the suburbs. Again, it's something of a drive - about half an hour."

"That's fine," Keith said. "It's a nice day for it. I'd just need directions."

"Hmm... all right, then."

The directions Yuri gave definitely were further away than Keith had expected, but that wasn't enough to dim his enthusiasm. Besides, it would be interesting to see where Yuri lived. "I may need that thirty minutes," Yuri commented, after Keith had repeated the directions back to him. "From the sound of things, I might want to find something a little less formal than my usual attire."

"No tie required for admission," Keith told him, and then chuckled. "Only leashes."

"Hmm..." Yuri sounded amused. "You're just asking for some very improper suggestions, Keith. That wasn't intentional, was it?"

"Er." Keith hadn't thought of it that way. "Not at all."

"I didn't think so - you're practically a puppy yourself," Yuri teased him. "Anyhow, I should let you go, so John isn't kept waiting for his playtime any longer..."

The innuendo wasn't entirely forgotten by the time they said goodbye, but Keith had largely forgotten about it by the time he pulled up in front of Yuri's house. Which was a fairly large house, in a rather nice neighborhood with clipped hedges and stone fences and gated driveways bordering enormous yards, no doubt belonging to very rich people. Keith had to admit, although he was paid well at HeroTV, he felt just a little bit out of his element wearing jeans and driving a car with dog fur all over the seats.

But then Yuri came out the front door, pulling a light jacket on over a knit sweater. This was a novelty - Keith had never seen him wearing anything other than a suit and tie. John followed his order to get in the back, and Keith reached over to open the door for Yuri as he approached. "All set?" he asked.

"I believe so," said Yuri, climbing in. "I'm afraid I'm not sure how one traditionally prepares for a visit to a dog park."

"Not much preparation is needed - they have everything a dog and his owner might need already there." Keith glanced back at the house as they pulled away. "I hadn't expected a large house. Or that you would live in the suburbs."

"Ah, well," Yuri remarked. "To be honest, it's not so much that I chose to live there - the house belonged to my father, and now technically belongs to my mother."

"Oh. But I thought..." Yuri was looking out the side window, and his nonchalant tone seemed at odds with the same posture Keith had noticed the day before - straight-backed, hands folded in his lap. Maybe Keith shouldn't ask about Yuri's mother. Or how his father might have come by the kind of money that would allow someone to live in such a fancy neighborhood - try as he might, Keith couldn't think of anyone else he'd ever heard of with the last name of Petrov.

Besides, their pasts weren't the kinds of things they should have been talking about on such a bright, sunny afternoon. It was more appropriate to tell amusing stories and talk about less serious matters, like how John seemed to know exactly where they were going, judging from the speed of his tail. In no time, Yuri had relaxed and was smiling again, just in time for their arrival at the park.

Yuri had admitted that he wasn't an animal person, and for a time he held back, simply sitting on a bench and watching as Keith and John played in the off-leash area, occasionally calling out some teasing remark about how John seemed to be winning their games. That was fine - Keith hadn't expected Yuri to join in, when joining in meant getting down on one's knees on the ground, maybe rolling around and rough-housing a little. And of course, picking up after one's dog so that no one would wind up stepping or rolling around in anything unexpected. Just having Yuri there, seated comfortably in the warm sunlight and smiling at his and John's antics, made a fun outing even more enjoyable.

When Yuri was finally convinced to get up and toss the frisbee himself a few times, that made Keith's heart feel warm. When Yuri finally actually knelt down in the grass to take the frisbee after John retrieved it, scratching John behind the ears with a smile, Keith's heart felt like it was overflowing. To see the two most important friends in his life playing together, getting to know one another, accepting each other... And he had to laugh a little to himself when Yuri's fond smile briefly was interrupted by a grimace, thanks to John licking his hand.

After a couple of hours, though, it was starting to get late, especially considering the drive back to Yuri's. Keith put John back on his leash to settle down a little before they headed out. It was so comfortable, he thought to himself, having Yuri with them as they walked through the park in the evening. He thought it was good for Yuri, too - Yuri looked completely at ease, smiling, with none of his earlier tension. Or maybe it was just that he looked a lot more casual by default when he wasn't wearing a suit.

Either way, Keith wanted to see more of it. "I'd ask if you wanted to go to dinner somewhere," he suggested on the way back to the car. "But with John along, we couldn't do anything other than take-out. If that's all right with you, though, we could go back to my place..."

Yuri shook his head, and the relaxed smile faded just a little. "Thank you, but I'm not exactly used to spending so much time out," he admitted. "I've had a good time - better than I'd anticipated, in fact - but I believe I could stand some quiet to just think."

"All right." Keith nodded, not put off in the least. Yuri obviously wasn't used to that kind of outing. "Maybe another time," he suggested, offering his free hand.

Yuri glanced at it in mild surprise, then his smile relaxed again as he took it. "Absolutely. I apologize - I've spent so much time on my own, I suppose I've become somewhat eccentric."

"I don't think so," said Keith, smiling back at him. "Or maybe I just don't mind." Even if Yuri was occasionally kind of strange, and he had his issues, Keith figured that he had plenty of reasons to be a little strange. Besides, Keith was probably kind of strange himself, if in different ways.

Back at Yuri's house, they exchanged a simple, largely innocent kiss before Yuri got out of the car, and Keith couldn't say he was disappointed. It was sort of a relief that they could spend time together without getting carried away and caught up in the physical. Because yes, Keith still wanted Yuri, and that sly little twist to Yuri's smile as he said good night suggested that the feeling was mutual - but it was good to know that there was more between them than desire. Any two people might want each other physically, but what the two of them had was more special.

Though the sun was going down, the warm feeling persisted while Keith and John headed home, and Keith fixed himself a quick dinner before heading back to headquarters. He had had the previous night off, but there was no reason not to resume his patrol now, when he felt so good. So good, in fact, that once he was in his hero suit and speeding through the sky, he indulged himself in doing a couple ridiculous aerial tricks - barrel rolls, loop-the-loops, and so on. He hadn't done such things since he'd first been given the hero suit, just after having been approved by the Justice Bureau. Thinking back, he wondered if Yuri had been involved even then, when they hadn't even known each other...

He couldn't blame Yuri for needing some time alone to think. Keith found that being up in the air by himself, he had plenty to think about too, most of it good. And when he happened across a burglary in progress, he stopped it before backup arrived, only to realize _afterwards_ that he hadn't hesitated for a moment. Despite his inability to protect Amy the day before, he hadn't doubted himself for even a split second, but done exactly what needed to be done. Strange, when he might have expected a failure of such magnitude to send him into another depressive slump, like the one he'd been in after being defeated by Jake, or maybe even worse. 

But then, this time, he had Yuri. He truly hoped he was having such a positive effect on Yuri as Yuri was having on him.

\---

Monday sent Keith back to a more busy schedule; in the morning, Sky High had been scheduled to appear at a program for young teens, emphasizing the importance of staying in school. It was the kind of thing Keith had done countless times before, and could do by heart by now, though he meant every word of his speeches about values and teamwork and perseverance. He couldn't go into detail, but he might not have become a functioning adult without the guidance he'd received in high school. The most difficult part of an appearance like that was having to sign autographs afterwards while wearing the heavy gloves of the hero suit, though he was relatively used to that as well - and he always enjoyed taking pictures with fans, especially the young and excited ones. There was no time for lunch before he headed off to the radio interview which was his next engagement, unless he ate on the way, and seeing as he had to keep his helmet on, that wasn't happening. No matter - he could have a late lunch after he got back to headquarters and out of the public eye long enough to remove the hero suit.

The usual pile of fan mail was awaiting him upon arrival, his secretary having set aside a few of them in the customary 'must-read' pile - often from children with a terminal illness, or a citizen he'd personally saved, or a similarly touching story. But even more important were the in-house memos and notifications, which he checked first, settling down with a cheeseburger at his desk and calling up the new messages. They might not actually have _all_ been important, granted - the first one told him that the engineers had repaired the badly burned hero suit, and were keeping it back as a spare - but if there was anything important, that was where it would arrive.

His lunch was all but forgotten upon reading the most recent memo that had arrived in his inbox. 

Immediately he dialed Agnes's number. "Bonjour, Sky High," she said, in a tone so casual that it was obvious she knew why he was calling. "I take it you've read the memo."

"That kind of step is unnecessary," he informed her. "Absolutely unnecessary. I admit, I had a bad reaction. But it had nothing to do with Lunatic - I'm still willing to handle him whenever he next appears. I made a decision," he said firmly, "and I will not back down due to having failed _once_."

"I believe you," she assured him. "You'd never go back on something you decided to do, left to your own devices."

"No, and I'm asking you to respect that. I promise - I can do my job as well as I ever have."

"I'm sorry, but this wasn't my decision," Agnes explained. "This directive was handed down from the Justice Bureau itself. Perhaps it's just that they don't know you the way we do."

...The Justice Bureau. It only took a few moments for Keith to realize where the order must have come from, and he only barely kept himself from murmuring the man's name aloud.

"Perhaps they're worried about the kind of publicity the heroes might receive if our current front-runner fails to stop Lunatic more than once," Agnes continued. "Of course _I_ know that you're still the best qualified..."

"...I see," he muttered, reining in his frustration for the time being. It wasn't Agnes's fault at all. "Thank you for the explanation. And again, thank you."

"You're always quite welcome, Sky High."

After ending that call, he immediately hung up and began to redial the number that his desk phone had dialed the day before. On second thought, he hung up before it had finished and headed out of the office area, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He didn't particularly want anyone listening in for this, and Karina and Pao-lin were already giving him funny looks from over by the reception.

With it being a weekday, there seemed to be people just about everywhere. He headed for the parking lot, dialing on the way. Yuri took a few moments to pick up. "Ah, Sky High - I expected I might hear from you."

Obviously he wasn't alone. Also obvious, despite the relatively upbeat tone, he wasn't going to pretend he didn't know why Keith might be calling. Keith was glad for that small favor, at least. "So you admit you're behind this."

"Of course. One moment." Keith couldn't help clenching his fist at the nonchalance in Yuri's voice, even though he knew that it was artificial. Or it better have been. At least the pause gave him a moment to go to his car and get inside, for privacy's sake.

"Much better," Yuri said, several seconds later, and Keith was marginally relieved to hear him sounding more serious already. "Keith, if you already know I was responsible, then I'm sure you know why."

"I have some idea why." Yuri had said as much Saturday night, after all. "What I don't understand is - how could you do this to me?" Keith asked, dismayed. "This is my job. You can't prevent me from doing my job."

"I can prevent you from doing something particularly dangerous that isn't a necessary part of your job," Yuri stated. "You, specifically, are not responsible for handling Lunatic. It is a job that any of the heroes might be called upon to do. If you're forbidden from interaction with Lunatic, they will simply take over in your place."

"But it _is_ my place!" Keith exclaimed.

"You have no special obligation above the other heroes."

"Yes I do - an obligation to myself." Keith tried to calm down. Yuri was just trying to protect him - he couldn't know how much this meant to him. "Yuri, I made a promise to myself when Wild Tiger and Barnaby retired. Someone needed to step in to keep Lunatic under control, and I vowed that I would do the job."

"Under ordinary circumstances, I would encourage you to continue, and do your best," Yuri replied. "However, you're too close to Lunatic's recent actions. I don't dare imply that you're not normally capable of taking him on. However, as Saturday's events proved, when you're emotionally involved, you may encounter unexpected difficulties, and not perform to your usual standards."

"Is that what you told the rest of the Justice Bureau?" Keith couldn't help but feel betrayed.

"What I told the Justice Bureau," Yuri explained calmly, "was that perhaps the strain was wearing on you. Lunatic has been unusually active recently, and acting in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, it has been you he faces every time. I suggested that perhaps we would do better to change tactics, to both give you some rest and to throw him off his guard. The rest of the Bureau agreed."

"Yuri..." The logic behind the decision was reasonable, and didn't involve airing Keith's personal business. That was another relief, but still unacceptable, as far as Keith was concerned. "I _want_ to face him again. I _have_ to."

"Why do you _have_ to?"

"It's... hard to put into words," Keith explained. "But if I don't face him again, I'll have to live with the knowledge that he managed to get past me. That I couldn't defend someone against him. I know that's not true."

"No offense, Keith," Yuri murmured, "but in that instance, it was."

"But it's not _universally_ true." Keith was certain of it. "To prove it, I need to face him again, and this time come out on top."

Yuri sighed quietly. "Pride goeth before a fall..."

"It's not pride." That was the part that was so hard to explain. "It's like... I've spent so much of my life being told I wasn't good enough... I'd never be of any use. And then so much of my life was spent proving it wasn't true. And now, to fail at something so important as protecting someone's life..."

"I think I'm beginning to see," Yuri acknowledged, and his voice lowered. "It doesn't take much to make the house of cards fall, does it?"

"I thought you would understand." Having it confirmed made Keith feel a lot better, even if he hadn't gotten Yuri to reverse the directive yet. "Yuri, if I don't face him again, that failure will be what I think of every time he appears. In order to move past it, I _must_ face him again. And I _must_ come out on top."

"I hadn't realized this was so important to you," Yuri murmured. "I apologize. But I must admit, my decision to present this proposal was not entirely a selfless one. Keith, _I_ would rather that you stayed away from Lunatic as well, for my own personal reasons."

"Are your personal reasons more important than mine?" Keith countered.

There was a long pause. "Consider this: Would you want _me_ to be responsible for confronting a rogue NEXT? One who was known to have no qualms about killing? Even if I were a NEXT with significant power myself?" he added, heading off Keith's immediate defense.

Even so, Keith scoffed quietly. He understood what Yuri meant, but... "Do you think I can't protect myself?"

"I think that there's no way to tell what might occur during an encounter with Lunatic," Yuri replied. "I also think I'd never forgive myself if I allowed you into a situation where you were hurt."

Keith really _did_ understand. That was the terrible part - he understood, but it was unacceptable. "Yuri, I am a hero. By its very nature, this job means that I will be in danger - I'm protecting those who can't protect themselves. A hero runs _into_ a disaster, instead of _from_ a disaster. Every time Sky High is called out, the possibility exists that I could be hurt, or worse. Every single time. To this day, there is nothing and no one who has been able to seriously hurt me."

"Lunatic is more dangerous than anyone you've faced."

"More than Jake Martinez?" Keith pointed out.

"Jake Martinez could have killed you, if he'd wanted to," Yuri reminded him. "He allowed you to live - perhaps because as a supremacist, he had no desire to murder a talented NEXT, even those who disagreed with his philosophies. Lunatic will not hesitate to kill an opponent, NEXT or otherwise."

Except that maybe he had. "...I'm not so sure about that."

"Hmm?"

It could have just been Keith's imagination, but when he thought back to that last fight... "I got the impression that he doesn't want to hurt me."

"That's curious," Yuri mused. "What makes you think that?"

"Just before Amy Holtz began to shout at me," Keith began, "I'd gotten between them. He was kneeling there with the bowgun, aimed at her, but now at me instead. He didn't shoot."

"He does think of himself as an agent of justice like ourselves," Yuri said. "Perhaps he wouldn't want to unnecessarily destroy someone who shares his end goals, if not his methods."

"That wasn't what he seemed to believe shortly after he first appeared, when he was willing to attack Origami Cyclone in the situation at the school."

"This is true... So aside from a hesitation, what makes you believe he might think of you differently?"

"It's... It's more a feeling than anything I could explain rationally," Keith said. "A feeling that he didn't want to hurt me. I know it must sound strange, but..." Strange, and impossible. "I kind of felt like maybe... we know each other."

"Hmm..." Yuri fell quiet for a moment, thinking. "Keith, I'm not sure you're thinking clearly about this. His recent actions have struck a very personal nerve with you, and it's no wonder that you might feel a sense of kinship with him."

"I guess maybe that could be it..." It was a reasonable explanation. The problem was, having a reasonable explanation didn't make that feeling go away.

There were a lot of things Keith was feeling lately that couldn't be reasoned away - and some of them, he wouldn't have wanted to be reasoned away. In fact, that memo would have been a pretty good reason to never speak to Yuri again, but he just couldn't let that happen. "Yuri, I understand that you're worried about me," he said, now more dejected than angry. "I understand that you don't want me to take unnecessary risks. But I _can't_ let you interfere with my work. I'm a hero, and being a hero has been the best thing that's ever happened in my life. That might... that might change." It was amazing to him that something else might actually be more incredible than the chance to become a hero, but it was true. "But it won't change," he finished, "if you insist on going behind my back and preventing me from doing the work that I live for. You're in a position of professional authority over me, and this is abusing it, just as surely as if you'd set me up to score extra points. If you can't respect me as a hero, and let me do my job, then it proves _you_ don't understand _me_ at all."

"...All right," Yuri conceded. "I'll admit that I might have crossed a line."

"Again, I understand why," Keith said. "But it just _can't happen_ , Yuri."

He could hear Yuri take a deep breath. "I'm not used to admitting when I've made a mistake, Keith. But it would seem that I owe you an apology."

That was a good start. "I appreciate it." But it was only a good start, and he waited.

"I would still rather not have you in Lunatic's path," Yuri said. "Seeing as I made a logical case for the Bureau, I can hardly change it without explanation, or there would be questions. However, if we're fortunate enough that Lunatic makes no further appearances for a week or so, I might be able to report that you seem to be well-rested, and are eager to prove yourself."

"That much is true," Keith muttered. "The more time that passes, the worse it will be."

Yuri paused. "We don't know that he'll show himself within the next few weeks anyway. He's never followed an established schedule."

"I know..." Keith sighed quietly.

"Keith, I do apologize," Yuri said again, and Keith couldn't deny that he sounded sincere. "I never meant to cause you distress. Quite the opposite."

"I know you didn't," Keith murmured. "I suppose that's why I'm still speaking to you."

"Thank goodness for that," Yuri murmured in reply. "But do you forgive me?"

"I can - if you understand why I was upset."

"I'd like to think I do, but considering that I didn't anticipate your reaction, I suddenly doubt my ability to understand your way of thinking at all."

Keith could relate to that feeling, and he knew how disappointing it was. "Don't feel too badly about it... I thought the same thing earlier, when I discovered that the Justice Bureau had forbidden me from engaging Lunatic."

"Mmm."

Yuri was obviously feeling guilty, and even after what he'd done, Keith didn't like to see him unhappy. "It's understandable," he reasoned. "We've shared a great deal with each other... we've opened up to each other... but when you think about it, we haven't really known each other for very long. It wouldn't make any sense for us to understand each other perfectly already."

"...Sometimes you're considerably brighter than I expected." 

Keith just had to smile. "I don't know when was the last time I was as angry as I was a few minutes ago," he said. "During the Maverick incident, I suppose, but that was a less personal anger..."

"Again, I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven," Keith assured Yuri. "My point was - as angry as I was, I feel much better after hearing an apology. And still, a little compliment from you makes me smile."

"I'm glad," Yuri told him. "I do like that smile."

That made him smile wider, of course. "If I were there, I wouldn't let myself leave until you were smiling too."

"It wouldn't take long - just thinking of you makes me smile." 

Yuri's voice was low and still somewhat subdued, but Keith thought he could hear a hint of the smile creeping back. He could almost picture it. How, he wondered, had he managed to memorize Yuri's face so quickly?

"To be honest, I'm a bit relieved," Yuri added. "If you're able to be angry with me when I overstep my boundaries, then it means you're not..." He paused, presumably searching for the right words.

Keith was fairly sure he understood what he meant, after the concerns Yuri had confessed Saturday night. He didn't know how to say it accurately either, however, except to say it bluntly, and Yuri might not appreciate that. The closest he could come was "...Blind."

"Yes," Yuri said quietly.

When he said no more, Keith decided he should say _something_ \- and ideally, he should say something more uplifting. "Unfortunately, I don't plan on doing anything to hurt you just to see if the same is true for you," he said, his voice casual and fond.

"Hm." The quiet breath Yuri breathed might have been a laugh. "I suppose time will tell. Usually there is more than one instance of conflict in a relationship, if it can last at all."

"It's lasted through this conflict," Keith noted.

"And now I suppose we'll learn how nice it is to make up afterwards," Yuri added. "I hear it can be quite spectacular."

"So I hear..." Keith wondered if Yuri was suggesting something, given the jokes he'd heard for years about how couples made up.

"On that note," Yuri said, "I'd like to see you again sometime, if we're truly all right."

"I'm still a little angry," Keith admitted. "But now that I know you're sorry, I'll get over it."

"Fair enough. Later this week, then?"

Even if he was still angry, Keith also wasn't sure he wanted to wait that long. But it was probably a good idea. "Sure... I'll keep in touch."

"If you didn't, I would."

Keith nodded thoughtfully, mostly to himself, seeing as they were talking on the phone. "I have a busy schedule this week, but I'm sure I can find time. For calls, and a visit or two."

"I could always help to arrange that," Yuri pointed out. "But I suppose I should avoid abusing my position any further, and I have a lot on my plate this week also. In fact, I should get back to the discussion I left."

"All right - sorry I interrupted."

"It's no trouble. It was important for you to inform me of my mistake - and I'd rather talk to you anyway."

Yuri definitely sounded more playful, and even after they'd said their goodbyes, the floating sense of relief lingered, making the rest of Keith's day brighter.

Upon arriving at the office the next day, the surprise awaiting him suggested that the following day would be brighter still.

"Someone's got a secret sweetheart...!" Nathan teased. "Looks like another victory for Sky High!"

"Tell us, who are they from?" Karina pestered him. "Was it the same person you had a date with the other night?"

"A date!" Nathan looked shocked. "No one told me he had a date! Who are you dating, hmmm?"

"They smell good..." Pao-lin inhaled deeply, then looked thoughtful. "I guess they have a meaning too..."

Keith had no idea what she was talking about, but the large bouquet of white roses and baby's breath _did_ smell good. And as for the other inquiries... "It's... a busy day," he told them. "Don't we all have work to do?"

Even the embarrassment that was making him blush, and all the questions about _who exactly_ he was dating, couldn't keep the smile from his face as he settled down at his desk, hidden behind the bouquet, and set about checking his messages.


	8. Chapter 8

Yuri had a very poor relationship with remorse. Given his chosen duties, both in his public profession and the one he kept secret, a mistake or miscalculation from him could mean he was responsible for ruining someone's life, and perhaps multiple lives. He simply couldn't afford them - and therefore, he simply did not make them.

But he had obviously made a mistake in this case, and it involved Keith. Keith, who was the last person he would ever have intentionally upset. Easily corrected or not, if he could make a mistake in such a situation as this, to the point where he acknowledged it openly... it begged the question: Where else might he have miscalculated?

There were so many decisions he had made, so many actions he was responsible for carrying out. The present doubts prompted them to parade through his mind when it wasn't otherwise occupied, and sometimes when it was. And he could hardly be surprised that the first and perhaps most important decision of his life had taken the opportunity to assert its side of the story once again.

"Go. Away." Yuri snarled the words through clenched teeth. Every time he was alone now, anywhere he went, his father's specter was there. It was worst at home, and though the room in his basement was secured with numerous safeguards, none could keep his father at bay. He stood there now, staring at Yuri with the same ominous intensity as the masks that hung on the wall beside him. "You were no mistake."

And what you're doing now...?

Keith was upset by it, yes, because the old memories of abuse had been on his mind, and because in one case - another miscalculation on Yuri's part - he had been physically present. Yuri was hoping to avoid that in the future, seeing as there were other individuals that needed to be punished for Keith's sake. "They deserve their fate," Yuri told him. "I don't believe a better man exists in this city, and if they'd had their way, he would have been destroyed before he ever got the chance to prove it."

Amy Holtz never laid a hand on him.

"Psychological and emotional abuse can be just as damaging in the long-term as physical abuse," Yuri stated, "and often more so." He'd certainly heard it testified in enough of the cases he'd handled.

The things she told him were no worse than what your own mother tells you.

Yuri gazed at his father's specter warily.

Either such treatment isn't so bad as to deserve death... or you're a hypocrite.

His father was one to talk about hypocrisy. Even so...

Unconsciously, Yuri's hand rose to cover his face. "Stop it."

Or do you believe that you don't deserve vengeance? Why **don't** you deserve-

"Stop it!" Yuri snapped, glaring at his father as he got up and strode past him out of the room, up the stairs.

His mother was in the dining room. He could hear her talking to herself.

"I just don't know what's gotten into him lately - he's been so secretive, and he's going out all the time. Do you think something's wrong? But no, he seems more relaxed," she continued, pouring a cup of tea for an empty chair. "All a part of our little Yuri growing up, perhaps..." She looked up, noticing the movement in the doorway, where Yuri had paused to watch her. "Oh, Yuri dear - are you ready fo..."

The kind expression on her face changed to a different expression that Yuri was also well-acquainted with, and her voice trailed off into horrified quiet. Yuri paid it no mind. He could feel the fire in his fingertips, a spark just looking for an excuse to leap to the tinder.

But for the ticking of the clock, counting off seconds that stretched out into eternity, everything was silent.

His mother said nothing more, only made a terrified sound from her tightened throat - as Yuri finally turned, and continued on to his study. Once inside with the door closed, he picked up the telephone, dialing with a trembling hand. "Yes, it's me," he said, and the tension slipped away at the sound of Keith's voice. "It's nothing - I've just had a long day. Perhaps my voice is not what it should be after all the talking I've had to do. ...Yes, those were me as well. Is there anyone else I should be worried about that might send you roses?" he teased, even beginning to smile.

By the time they had arranged to meet for dinner over the weekend, Yuri felt much better. And when he lifted his eyes from the telephone receiver, after settling it back in its cradle, his father was nowhere in sight. As well he should be - just talking to Keith for a few minutes proved that Lunatic was justified.

He'd also come up with a possible solution to the subject of his current remorse, and headed back downstairs to gather a few things. Perhaps he and Keith could make something of the night despite their busy schedules.

\---

It had been an odd time for Yuri to call, Keith reflected as he gazed down at the streets that streamed away beneath him. They might not know each other's schedules by heart, but Keith's patrols were a nightly duty - that didn't change week to week, or even day to day. Not that Yuri's call had made him late, or interrupted anything, but he'd been just about to depart. It was a shame he'd had to cut the call short, or at least shorter than he would have preferred. Hearing Yuri's voice, especially when he was being playful, made him feel calm, which was a good way to feel when he was about to head out on patrol. 

From the way Yuri had sounded when he'd first spoken, Yuri could use some calm too. Keith wondered what had happened. Maybe Yuri had called at that particular strange time just because that was when he realized he needed something positive. Something about his job, maybe - it wasn't so late that Yuri couldn't have had something come up to keep him this long after hours, and if it was related to a case he was working on, he probably couldn't talk about it. But at least now he had dinner to look forward to that weekend. Both of them did.

Everything seemed to be quiet in Sternbild at the moment, at least relatively so. Keith's altitude was such that he had a good view for a few blocks around him, but wasn't out of range of a loud alarm or a siren or a scream. None of the above had been heard - until only twenty minutes before the end of his shift, when he heard a scream and then a shout, below and to his right.

Keith swooped down to get a closer look. A young man, seemingly armed and carrying a small bag in the other hand, was running down a dark alley, away from a young woman who had fallen to her knees on the sidewalk at the alley's mouth. An obvious robbery, nothing Keith hadn't seen and dealt with a hundred times before. He angled himself for the approach, planning to dive in and capture the robber before he could realize Sky High was even there.

Instead, a motion at his own level caught his eye, and he looked up from the scene just in time to see a fireball erupt on the rooftop of one of the buildings bordering the alley; a blue-green flame that flared up, burning away the cape that had caught his eye, billowing in the breeze.

This was unusual - it wasn't just Yuri who should have known when Sky High would be patrolling the city. There had been a significant decrease in crime during those hours, ever since word had gotten out that the patrols were occurring, and Lunatic himself had never appeared during one. To have him appear now... Did he _know_ Sky High was forbidden from confronting him?

It didn't matter; Keith knew the procedure, and immediately made use of the communications within his helmet to send out a bulletin. "Sky High to headquarters - Lunatic has appeared, fifty meters north of my coordinates. I believe he's trying to interfere with an armed robbery I just witnessed."

"Armed robbery?" came back the incredulous response. "Was anyone killed?"

"No..." That was what made it especially odd. "To my knowledge, no one has been so much as injured." The woman looked fine, if upset, and a passing pedestrian had bent down to help her up. The robber was still running, disappearing around a corner, presumably with no knowledge he'd been spotted by either Sky High or Lunatic.

"Huh. We'll send out the other heroes at once."

But even as the reply came, Lunatic leaped from the edge of the building, bowgun in hand. "No time," Keith said, without hesitation. "He's about to act. He needs to be stopped, or at least stalled." Keith wasn't in the habit of disobeying instructions, but in this case, he knew it was necessary. "Forgive me."

He ended communications as he descended into the alley after Lunatic, narrowly avoiding the walls of the buildings as he flew around a corner, only to find the robber frozen in fear, faced with the end of Lunatic's bowgun. "You, who ignore the law for your own selfish desires and flaunt your disobedience..."

"Then the two of you have something in common," Keith stated, swooping in to land between them. "You more than anyone, Lunatic, would know about flaunting disobedience of the law."

"Where the law has failed, someone must step in." The bolt flared up, and Lunatic pulled the trigger.

Keith dove backwards, turning as he fell to grab the young robber, who was babbling in terror. "I'm sorry just take it take it take it please it's not worth it I'm sorry just take it I don't care please..."

"Apology accepted, for now," Sky High told him, flying them both up and out of the alley, where he could deposit the young man on a rooftop. No obvious way down; they could come back and get him later, as well as return the purse he'd stolen. At the moment, it was more important to keep Lunatic from claiming yet another victim.

Lunatic seemed strangely determined to punish this one young robber, however, arming another bolt as he followed. Keith managed to turn him aside momentarily with a strong gust of wind, then flew straight at him in an attempt to divert his attention and draw him off. "There's no need for this," he told Lunatic firmly. "He's only a boy, and already remorseful."

"Only because he was caught," Lunatic reasoned, dodging and setting himself to fire again. "Would he have stopped if he'd succeeded in escaping?"

Another gust of wind disrupted Lunatic's aim; the bolt went flying harmlessly into the sky, and Keith ducked away from the flame that followed in its wake. Rather than answering the question, Keith posed another. "What are you doing?" he asked more quietly. "Why are you punishing minor infractions now?"

Lunatic actually shrugged, facing him and readying another bolt. Better than having him face the young man, Keith thought. "Why not?"

"The law _does_ provide appropriate punishment for robbers," Keith said. "I thought you followed the tenet of 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'."

"And a life for a life," Lunatic continued. "There are other ways to destroy a life, besides ending it."

"I know that too well," Keith muttered. "But a purse-snatching?" There was something very wrong with this, and Keith didn't disrupt the next bolt, merely dodging it instead. He had the feeling, though, that Lunatic wasn't talking about tonight's crime. "...Lunatic, what did Bill and Amy Holtz do to you? And Valentina de Luca? And Judge Witte?"

"What does it matter?" Lunatic murmured, stilling. "What they did cannot be undone - yet they can never do it again."

"It matters to me," Keith told him honestly. Lunatic _had_ to have some kind of personal experience with them all, something much like his own. "Even though you are a vigilante, you are still a person. _You_ still matter."

"To say such things even to your opponent," Lunatic mused. "You _are_ truly a hero, aren't you, Sky High?"

Was Lunatic mocking him...? "I say such things because I mean them," said Keith. "You and I are not so different."

"I've thought the same for quite some time..."

Something about the way he said it... Even behind the eerie echo of his mask, Keith thought it sounded almost... fond. And he still hadn't attempted to fire the bowgun again. The feeling he'd had before grew stronger - the sense that he _knew_ Lunatic.

Keith had already asked who he was, and understandably, Lunatic hadn't answered. Instead... "...What do you know?"

"The voice of Thanatos tells me many things," Lunatic replied.

"What do you mean? What _is_ the voice of Thanatos?" Was there a leak somewhere, maybe...? Was that why Lunatic dared to show himself during Sky High's patrol?

"What is it...?" Lunatic's head tilted, as if curious. "I wonder if you could understand. If you could hear him..."

Keith was confused. "...I don't understand at all."

"If you haven't heard his voice already..." Lunatic continued thoughtfully. "I'm sure you will someday."

Suddenly, Lunatic's posture changed from the almost casual stance, the bowgun snapping up. Keith shot upwards into the air to avoid the shot - but it was hardly necessary, when the shot went wide. A diversion, he realized; when he turned to look down again, Lunatic was already gone.

Keith immediately set to searching the area. He had no idea how Lunatic could have disappeared so quickly. He couldn't have gone too far... could he? Though when he looked up, he saw why - HeroTV was on the move overhead, no doubt filming.

And he was getting a transmission. "Couldn't you have kept him occupied just a bit longer?" Agnes was griping. "We barely got any footage at all - you didn't even fight!"

"I'm... sorry?" Television footage was the last thing on his mind at the moment. "I wasn't supposed to be engaging him at all."

"Oh, never mind that. You didn't have a choice, did you? No one can fault you for that - we'll make sure you don't get in trouble. It would have been nice if we'd had something to show for it, of course... Though at least we did get him running away from you. That's something."

"Did you see which way he went?"

"No, but it's all right. It looks like the incident's over before it started."

That wasn't what Keith was concerned about. He wanted to follow Lunatic, find out where he disappeared to when he vanished...

"Looks like you were right - there was no reason for them to take you off the case. Aside from the lack of good footage, you did a good job tonight, Sky High."

It hadn't occurred to Keith until just then, but... he _had_ faced Lunatic again, and he _had_ managed to come out on top. Or had he? Lunatic hadn't left because he was defeated. Moreover, the entire encounter hadn't made sense from the start. It was almost as if Lunatic _wanted_ to have Sky High find him...

Keith wished he could have figured out where Lunatic had gone. More than ever, he desperately wanted to know who was behind that mask.

\---

Back at home, in his basement stronghold, Yuri shook out his hair - it was always so flat after having been compressed inside Lunatic's tight-fitting garb - and smiled a little to himself. It had been a quiet night, and thus had taken longer than expected to find a crime happening near Keith's present location at any given time, but in the end? A job well done. There was, of course, the small detail of Keith beginning to question Lunatic's identity, but so long as Yuri never spoke too much, or in any detail, there was little danger of the truth being revealed.

However, he might choose to reveal it himself one day, Yuri mused as he took his kettle from the small, controlled fire he'd ignited. Maybe soon. He was quite sure, given what he had read of Keith's biological family, that Keith had once heard the call of what Yuri referred to as Thanatos. Perhaps he'd forgotten. But as reluctant as Yuri was to stir up old, unpleasant memories, Yuri suspected Keith could remember, given reason.

Once he'd poured a fresh cup of tea and mixed it to his satisfaction, Yuri settled down in front of the monitors currently replaying HeroTV's brief footage of the encounter, not bothering just yet to change out of the brightly patterned tunic. This time he used his cell. "Good evening, Keith. I've been watching, and I'd say congratulations are in order. Clearly you were in the right on the matter of Lunatic. ...And are you feeling like your usual unbeatable self once more? ...Very good."


	9. Chapter 9

Despite what he'd told Yuri (and Yuri had to know he wasn't being entirely truthful), Keith wasn't satisfied with the resolution of his encounter with Lunatic. No one had died, true, and the restriction on confronting Lunatic had been lifted, but Keith didn't believe that Lunatic was truly trying to _kill_ a mere robber. If he'd been intent on the young man as a target, he wouldn't have wasted so much time and attention on Sky High instead - and the cameras wouldn't have been enough to drive him off. In the past, Lunatic had been perfectly willing to go after his targets whether the HeroTV cameras were rolling or not. 

The more Keith thought about it, the more it looked to him as though Lunatic had simply been trying to get his attention. Which didn't make much sense. Lunatic had set himself up as an opponent to the heroes by the very nature of his 'justice' - why would he intentionally try to attract the attention of the top-ranked hero, the one most likely to be capable of capturing him and bringing him in for _real_ justice?

Unless it was a personal matter - which at first glance seemed likely, if Keith was seeing the situation clearly. Lunatic's last four victims had all been someone who had impacted Keith's life in a significantly negative way...

...But no one outside the HeroTV organization knew that the boy once known as Keith Palmer was involved with them in any way, let alone that he was the hero known as Sky High. Hardly anyone _within_ the organization knew, for that matter. He wasn't sure anyone did, aside from Yuri, who he'd explained it to after the killings began.

So then... it had to just be a coincidence. But that didn't mean it couldn't still have _become_ personal. Keith had offered, now on more than one occasion, to listen to Lunatic's explanation. He'd told Lunatic he could understand, and relate. And this time, Lunatic had said he'd thought they weren't so different. While that could have meant nearly anything, Keith was _sure_ it meant that he was getting through to Lunatic. He was making progress. If he kept on encountering Lunatic, then he could make _further_ progress. He might even manage to talk reason into Lunatic someday, enough to make the vigilante come with him, face his fate, accept his punishment with an understanding friend at his side. And of course Keith would be that understanding friend, whether it was one of the victims he'd met previously or not, because they'd endured the same trials.

But none of this was coming to pass, because Lunatic appeared to have vanished. Weeks went by, and there were no more killings, no more attempted killings, no more clashes or even sightings. After that inexplicable attempt at bringing his justice to a purse-snatcher, Lunatic had simply disappeared.

Keith didn't know what to think of that. On the one hand, it was good that a vigilante wasn't trying to claim any new victims, and the public's fear was beginning to wane. On the other hand, on the more personal level... he wished he could talk to Lunatic again, and see how much further he could get.

Then again, Keith had enough to deal with on a personal level already, and the progression of his relationship with Yuri was far more enjoyable than trying to get inside the head of a rogue killer. Weekdays were often still too busy for much time together, but they managed to drop by each other's office from time to time, and arranged to have lunch together on occasion. On some of those days, they admittedly never got around to actually eating lunch... but they could pick up fast food on the way back, after they spent their break too wrapped up in each other to use their mouths for eating. Apparently they were getting just a little conspicuous, since Nathan had pulled Keith aside during a workout to ask just what was going on with him and that pretty judge? Not that it wasn't obvious from the wink that Nathan had already guessed, but that was all right - Nathan usually seemed to notice a lot of things that no one else did, and he and Yuri hadn't really been trying to keep all their weekday visits a secret.

And then there were the weekends. With a less busy schedule, they could visit at their leisure, go out for dinner, take John for a relaxing evening walk together. Perhaps soon, Keith thought, the weekend would provide an opportunity to spend the night together. 

Keith had been so fascinated by Yuri from the start that he had been tempted to rush things, and he was aware that the novelty of someone who _understood_ was so bright and beautiful to both of them that it would have been easy to get excited and move too quickly. Now, however, they'd been together long enough that it wasn't too soon anymore... was it? Neither of them knew much about relationships that worked, only those that didn't. Beyond their observance of their dysfunctional families, Yuri had attempted to date a few times, but confessed he'd never been able to let his guard down enough to trust; his potential romantic partners had no interest in dates that seemed more like job interviews, and therefore his 'relationships' had ended before they'd begun. Popular media offered conflicting messages - some sources suggesting that the first date would naturally lead to the two in bed, others suggesting that those who behaved in such a way were cheap and lacking in character. It didn't help that most examples were of a man and a woman, and the man was usually portrayed as pursuing and the woman resisting. 

Keith wasn't sure how any of it might apply to himself and Yuri. Certainly neither he or Yuri were pursuing, exactly, but neither were they resisting. Just waiting. Keith, at least, was willing to wait as long as it took - but he was beginning to think it would be very nice if it didn't take much longer.

One thing Keith _was_ reluctant to wait for was a dinner date they'd arranged for a Saturday evening. He'd had a rare weekend appearance, at an animal adoption event - something he personally approved very highly of - but when the rain started falling at the park halfway through, they had to cut it short. The hero suit kept him from getting as soaked as nearly everyone else involved, including the dogs, so once he was back at headquarters, it took no longer than usual for him to get changed and ready to pick Yuri up. An hour ahead of schedule, but he suspected Yuri wouldn't mind having an extra hour together, as they would have if he left immediately.

It occurred to him while he was on the way that Yuri might not be ready yet, but Keith didn't think that was a problem. They'd stopped in unannounced at each other's desks plenty of times, in whatever state they were in. Yuri had seen him sweaty, with his hair mussed and matted down from being in the hero suit too long, and... Yuri always looked flawless to Keith, but he suspected hardly anyone else had ever seen Yuri wearing anything less dressy than a suit and tie. That might have counted. 

They had known each other well enough for long enough that Yuri shouldn't have felt any need to dress himself up in front of Keith, at any rate. Keith didn't waste time calling, just pulled up in the driveway and parked as he normally did. Unsurprisingly, Yuri wasn't waiting for him as he did so often, though Keith thought he saw the curtains move in a front window as he got out of the car and headed for the door.

The door began to swing open, shortly after he'd rung the doorbell - but Yuri wasn't the one opening it. Instead, a short distance back from the door was an elderly woman in a wheelchair, peering at him curiously. "Yes...?"

"Ah..." Keith contained his surprise quickly. Yuri had said this was his mother's house, back when he'd first picked Yuri up here. "Are you Yuri's mother?"

Immediately the woman's face brightened. "Yes, dear, I'm Yuri's mother. Are you a friend of my Yuri?"

Keith couldn't help but smile. She reminded him already of the kind of mothers he'd seen on television - the kind he'd never had. "Yes, ma'am - my name is Keith. Keith Goodman. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Keith. Do come in," she told him. "Yuri's downstairs, but I'm sure he won't be long. It's so lovely to meet a friend of Yuri's - I sometimes worry, he spends so much of his time alone..."

"Thank you," Keith told her, taking her up on the invitation and opening the screen door as she slowly backed her wheelchair away. She seemed so frail, reaching out a trembling hand to press the button to close the door again... "Would you like some help?" he offered.

"Oh, and such a kind young man," Yuri's mother murmured. "Yes, please, if you would - right over this way," she directed him as he took hold of the wheelchair's handles. "We can wait for Yuri in the library."

"That sounds perfect." Following her instruction, he steered them in the direction of a large room off to the right, where he'd seen the curtains move earlier. "I apologize for dropping in unannounced. I hadn't thought about anyone else being here."

"It's no trouble," she assured him. "I was just reading. And I'm glad to finally have the chance to meet you, Keith. I had been wondering if Yuri had made a friend, he's been going out so often lately. Dear," she added, raising her voice slightly to call to someone as they entered the library, "this is Yuri's friend Keith."

Keith lifted his head to see who she was speaking to, and the smile fell from his face, a chill running up his spine.

"Yes, so very good of him to befriend our Yuri," she went on to say, smiling fondly. "Yuri's been so distant - someone so nice as Keith might just draw him out of his shell. Keith, dear, this is Yuri's father."

She was smiling at an empty chair. It was coming back to Keith now, what Yuri had said about his mother. Suddenly he had no idea what to do. "Uh... hello," he offered, hesitantly.

"Oh now, you don't need to look so frightened," Yuri's mother told him. "Yuri's father is just as happy to see Yuri make a friend as I am. He's a fine man. A gentle man, he loves his family." Her voice broke slightly, began to waver. "He's always loved us, he just forgets how to show it when he's drinking, but he still loves us."

"That's very... good to hear," Keith murmured, as the woman began to cry. The situation had suddenly become very awkward, and very eerie. "I, uh, apologize..."

"You have no need to apologize." The voice spoke up behind them in the doorway, and Keith was relieved to turn and find Yuri standing there, a sober look upon his face. "You've done nothing wrong."

Keith wasn't so sure about that, but before he could say so, something nearly hit him in the head. He ducked away, and the book hit the wall beside him instead. "It's _your_ fault, it's all _your_ fault!" Yuri's mother was sobbing, and reached for another book from the shelf, hurling it in Yuri's direction. She had no strength, no control - that book simply flew past into the hallway, and the next skidded across the floor to land at their feet. "Murderer, murderer, _murderer!_ "

Keith turned to Yuri in alarm, but Yuri just stood there beneath the onslaught, his expression never changing as books hurtled past him and Keith, and his mother continued to rant. "I wish I'd never given birth to you! We could have been happy, just the two of us, just the two of us, you ruined _everything_..."

Purely by chance, her aim was true, and one of her books flew straight at Yuri's face - and Yuri, staring intently at his mother, didn't move.

Too alarmed to think better of it, his own heart pounding from the memories, Keith called up a gust of wind to blow the book off course, sending it hurtling off to the side harmlessly. Though none of this was aimed at him, he wasn't going to stand for it being directed at Yuri, either; he took hold of Yuri's hand, tugging him out into the hallway.

Yuri followed, and Keith led him right out the front door. "Yuri," Keith murmured, turning to face him. He still had that serious, distant expression on his face. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Yuri's response was immediate, and his voice wasn't shaky or distant - just tight. 

Good - so he wasn't having a flashback or anything of that nature, Keith thought. He squeezed Yuri's hand. "I'm sorry."

"As I said, you did nothing wrong." The tense anger in Yuri's voice was obvious regardless, and his eyes remained cast down. "I believe we had a date."

Keith glanced back towards the window; he couldn't see anything still happening inside. "...Will she be all right?"

Yuri made a faint noise of disgust, and broke his hand from Keith's grip, heading for the car. Keith supposed there was nothing to do but follow, confused and concerned as he was.

Once they were in the car, instead of starting it, Keith paused again to take a good look at Yuri. Yuri was just sitting there, staring straight ahead, his jaw clenched tightly. After a few moments, his eyes flickered in Keith's direction, then immediately away again. "...I suppose you had to meet the parents sometime," he muttered.

"Yuri..." Keith wanted to reach out and touch him, tell him it was all right, but everything about Yuri's posture suggested that he didn't want to be touched. He also was apparently not quite ready for their date, dressed in only slacks and a button-down shirt. "I'll understand if you don't feel up to having dinner," Keith said finally.

"Not really," Yuri admitted.

Keith nodded. "...Can I take you back to my apartment?" he asked.

"Whatever you like." The reply was sharp enough to cut, but after a moment, Yuri took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he added. "I don't believe I'm fit company at the moment."

"I don't care," Keith told him honestly, and started the car. He didn't want Yuri to go back into that house, especially if he wasn't even going to defend himself.

The drive back into town didn't normally seem so long, but this time it seemed to Keith that it took forever. It may not have been very long when the two of them were conversing, but with Yuri sullen and silent, it was too much time spent thinking, and replaying the scene that had just transpired, and thinking some more. And wondering. It was a relief to get back to his own apartment building, where he could look forward to John's presence lightening things up. Maybe he would know that Yuri needed some low-key, accepting, _soft_ company, the way he knew when Keith needed the same - but before they could get out of the car, Yuri finally spoke. "I suppose I owe you an explanation."

"Not at all," Keith assured him, though he couldn't deny that there were a few things that had happened that had left him troubled. "If you want to talk about it, I'll listen, but you don't owe me anything."

"No, you've been honest with me about some very difficult matters," Yuri said. He no longer sounded so tense and angry, but merely resigned. "You deserve honesty as well, and I haven't been entirely honest with you."

"...If you think so." As long as they were being honest, Keith had to admit that this was only making him more curious, and worried about what exactly Yuri had to say. But it was Yuri - Yuri was complicated, his childhood had been dark, but Keith knew he had a good heart. Whatever the explanation was, it couldn't be so bad. "But first, I want you to sit down, and I'll put on some water."

Yuri nodded, closing his eyes briefly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Always. It took a few moments longer for Yuri to steel himself to get out of the car, and Keith followed, keeping a close eye on Yuri.

As usual, John was waiting at the door as Keith opened it, and Keith gave him a good pet on the head before leading him back to give Yuri some room. Yuri wasn't so much of a dog person as Keith, after all, and even if John did recognize that Yuri needed some comforting, it might not be welcome at the moment. Nothing to worry about - though John did push his way around Keith to investigate Yuri, rather than crowding in on him, John simply made a faint whining, growling kind of noise and backed off, disappearing into the bedroom. That bad, Keith wondered?

John's unusual behavior wasn't foremost on Keith's mind, and he hadn't forgotten that he had a plan. "Have a seat," he told Yuri, heading for the kitchen. "I'll be back in a second." Yuri came over often enough that Keith now kept a kettle and a few varieties of tea - which he even knew the difference between now. Something calming this time, most likely, but he supposed he'd ask when the water was ready.

He returned from the kitchen to see Yuri seated on the couch, in the same straight-backed, hands-folded posture Keith recognized by this time. "I meant it when I told you you didn't have to say anything," Keith told him, sitting down at his side. "You told me before about your mother. I'd forgotten what you told me."

"I didn't tell you everything," said Yuri. "I told you she was delusional, and that she blamed me after I saved her from my father." He paused. "No doubt you're wondering about her accusations."

"...You told me she was delusional," Keith pointed out, though he was becoming more unsettled by the second. "I know not to take anything she said literally."

"Keith." Yuri did look at him this time. "Only someone entirely unworthy of law enforcement would leave it at that. I've worked with you for some time now. I know you're not so obtuse as that."

Keith just looked back. The truth was... he was fairly sure now that there was a truth he didn't want to know.

But it was a truth Yuri was willing to tell him. Slowly, Keith nodded. "All right, then..."

Yuri stared down again at his folded hands; his knuckles were white. "About my parents. ...I knew it was only a matter of time. After the last beating, she was unconscious for two hours. I couldn't just... stay safe, hidden, and watch it happen - I had to act, even if it meant I died in her place."

He hesitated, closing his eyes, then opening them again. Keith considered telling him again to stop, that he didn't say anything... But something told him to keep his mouth shut.

"But that wasn't what happened," Yuri continued. "As it turned out... I was not only able to subdue my father, but..." Yuri took a deep breath, one hand rising to cover his face, but his voice remained even, almost emotionless. "I just wanted to stop him. That was all."

It was true, Keith wasn't too oblivious to put the pieces together. However, that didn't mean he knew what he could possibly say to an admission like this.

"It was kept quiet, covered up," Yuri continued. "Due to unusual circumstances involving my father's job, there were no news reports, no trial. Even I can't find any information about the incident, with my access to all the official legal records in Sternbild. But it's true - I killed my father."

Keith had never imagined. When Yuri had said he kept his father from hurting his mother again, he'd assumed Yuri meant turning him over to the authorities. He was a judge, after all, so he must have had faith in the legal system, maybe from a young age, or maybe an incident like this would have been the turning point. But maybe, Keith realized, it was the exact opposite.

"So then," Yuri asked. "Now that you know I've taken a life, something no hero would ever do - are you disgusted by me?"

Shocked, concerned, but not disgusted. "No, I'm not," Keith told him without hesitation. "If I have this right, you saw your mother being beaten nearly to death. You tried to stop it, and wound up..." Even if he could justify it, Keith found it difficult to say, especially after hearing the accusations from Yuri's own mother. "Your mother's wrong," he told Yuri. "You're not a murderer. You didn't mean to."

"But perhaps I did." Yuri's voice was eerily flat, completely matter-of-fact. "Perhaps I hated him."

Keith thought he understood that feeling - he'd had the same fear after watching Amy Holtz burn in Lunatic's flames. Maybe that was why Yuri had been so eager to console him, when he'd admitted as much.

Though the moment was fragile, so much so that he was almost afraid to breathe, Keith dared to reach over to take Yuri's hand. He would have suggested that Yuri didn't think about it, but undoubtedly Yuri had been thinking about it for fifteen years. He knew he would have. All he could think of to say was, "I don't think any less of you, Yuri."

Between his fingers, Yuri's eyes squeezed shut, and his other hand tightened on Keith's for a moment. "According to the law, even if I had gone to trial, I wouldn't have been convicted of murder," he murmured. "My mother's life was in danger - clearly in danger. Her condition now is in part due to the abuse she suffered at my father's hand. The law states that deadly force is admissible as a defense _against_ deadly force. When faced with a killer, it is acceptable to kill." His eyes opened again, and like his voice, they too were eerily devoid of any emotion. "It isn't so different from Lunatic's philosophy, is it?"

That was just... Keith could have told him several ways it was different, but the idea that Yuri had just said such a thing - that Yuri could think even for a _moment_ that he was _anything_ like Lunatic - left him so dismayed that he didn't know where to start. All he could do, and all he wanted to do, was...

Keith slipped off the couch to kneel in front of Yuri, letting go of his hand and rising up to kiss the top of Yuri's bowed head, then his forehead as Yuri let his hand fall away. He heard Yuri take another deep breath as he rested his hands on Yuri's shoulders, keeping him steady as Keith kissed his nose and his cheeks and his eyelids. "I love you," Keith murmured between kisses. "That hasn't changed." He kissed him again, finding his lips. "I know you... I know who you are. I know you did what you had to do... I don't blame you."

Yuri took another deep breath, this one shaky, and kissed back as Keith's mouth met his own again. His hands took hold of Keith's head, no more willing to let Keith go than Keith was willing to let him go, and Keith wrapped his arms around Yuri's neck, kissing him more and more deeply as he felt the tension in Yuri's jaw slip away, and Yuri simply surrendered, his arms around Keith's back and drawing them tightly together.

It wasn't long before they had to stop, both of them breathing heavily, and Keith relished every breath Yuri breathed against his open mouth. They were getting carried away again, and he knew it - but maybe this was it. Eager as he was to reassure Yuri in both body and soul, as open as Yuri had allowed himself to be... maybe this was the very moment they'd been waiting for. "Yuri," Keith whispered. "I want to show you how much I love you - all of you, every part of you. ...Will you let me?"

Yuri might have intended to reply in words, but all that came out was a sigh as he rested his head forward on Keith's shoulder. Keith felt what must have been a nod, and then Yuri's lips were on his neck, Yuri's hands were sliding down to the small of his back, fingertips pressing in where they came to the waist of his pants. Permission had obviously been granted.

The couch would have been acceptable, as far as Keith was concerned, but not ideal. Yuri deserved better. Yuri deserved better than Keith could provide, in fact, but his own simple bed was the best he could do. It was difficult enough to let go of each other long enough to stand, let alone make it all the way to the bedroom, but Keith managed to get upright, taking Yuri's hand to lead the way.

John was still curled up at the foot of the bed, lifting his head with a puzzled look as they entered. Keith grinned and scratched him behind the ears before getting him up and ushering him out. As much as he appreciated John's company, this was one time that he wanted himself and Yuri to be completely alone.

After closing the door, Keith turned back to find Yuri standing by the bed, watching him. At first glance, it didn't seem much different than when he'd been standing still and observing his mother earlier, with a similarly serious expression - but this time, Yuri's head was held higher, and his eyes were just a little brighter. "Thank you," he murmured.

"Thank _you_ ," Keith told him earnestly, stepping around the end of the bed to approach him. "You've helped me so much... I can't even explain - I don't know what I would have done without you these last few months. I only hope that I can do you as much good as you've done me."

"You have," Yuri assured him, holding out a hand as unsteady as his voice. "You have. You're here. You're still..."

He didn't seem to know how to explain himself. He didn't have to; Keith accepted his hand, and on a whim, drew it up to his mouth to kiss. "I am. And I will."

"I don't understand," Yuri murmured, almost helplessly.

The way Yuri was looking at him, already Keith felt it was worth the wait. "It doesn't matter," he replied, and stepped closer.

It might have been a good thing that Yuri hadn't been ready yet when he arrived - less clothing to remove. Keith couldn't help a wondering smile as he started to unbutton Yuri's shirt, and Yuri simply watched in fascination, resting his hands lightly on Keith's hips and waiting his turn to do the same. When it came, Yuri turned the collar back slowly, clearly savoring the experience, and leaned in to kiss Keith's throat. Keith drew a deep, shaky breath at the kiss, and the trace of Yuri's hands over his bare skin. Something occurred to him as Yuri continued the unbuttoning, and he reached over Yuri's shoulders, taking hold of the ribbon that tied back his hair. "May I?" he asked.

Yuri just nodded, and Keith tugged at the small, neat bow, watching as Yuri's hair tumbled outward as the ribbon was loosened. Keith could run his fingers through it now, combing the waves free down to the ends. He felt Yuri tremble a little as Keith's hands grazed the back of his neck, and couldn't resist the urge to lean in for a kiss. His arms were already around Yuri's shoulders, and it was effortless for Yuri to wrap his around Keith's waist - and with both their shirts open, the embrace allowed warm skin to press against warm skin. Yuri, not satisfied with just that, tugged Keith's shirt out of his pants and slid his hands up beneath, exploring Keith's lower back. Keith let out a startled breath, and his hips tilted towards Yuri's; Yuri's hands slid down further, holding them there.

It was Yuri who took the initiative now, moving them towards the bed and leaning Keith back to sit down though they were still half-dressed. That was fine with Keith, who followed his direction and pulled Yuri down towards him. Shirts were shrugged off, Belts unbuckled and zippers loosened, and Yuri's hair fell all around them as he laid Keith back against his pillows, kissing him again and again. Their hands and mouths were kept busy exploring - so much to touch and learn and memorize and kiss above the waist that their pants remained on, forgotten until they couldn't stand it any longer, having anything at all between them.

Their legs intertwined, Yuri was hot and hard against Keith's hip. Keith arched up against Yuri's hip in turn, aching to be touched - and then Yuri's hand was wrapping around him, stroking with long graceful fingers. Keith tried to do likewise, though the angle made it awkward, and they shifted positions until Yuri was straddling him, making for less limbs in the way - and a much better view, when Yuri sat up, tossing his hair back over his shoulders with a gasp as Keith's thumb teased. Keith was breathing just as heavily, and couldn't imagine he looked so beautiful as Yuri somehow still managed to be. He'd already known that Yuri was in much better shape than one might have expected of someone with a desk job, but seeing all the lean muscle outright, bare and tensed and responding to his touch, was better than anything Keith could have imagined.

The only problem with this position, Keith thought, was that he couldn't hold Yuri, or kiss Yuri. After the evening's revelation - only dimly remembered in the edges of his mind at present, but still remembered - Keith wanted to show Yuri how much he cared, how much he cherished every inch of him, inside and out. "Yuri," he murmured, and paused to take Yuri's arms, caressing from elbow to wrist. "Will you allow me to make love to you...?"

Yuri just stared down at him at first, lips slightly parted, eyes searching for something. Keith didn't understand... but then Yuri's eyes closed, and he breathed a long, tired sigh, his mouth curving to a faint, wondering smile. "Please..."

Keith still didn't entirely understand - Yuri was so strange sometimes - but he understood enough. Yuri bent down to kiss him, and Keith took hold of his shoulders, turning them to lie beside one another, turning them again to look down at Yuri beneath him, eyes closed and smiling softly, with all his pale hair spread out over Keith's own pillow. His legs, splayed out as Keith knelt between them, were just as strong as Keith's, his body just as firm. Even so, Keith was careful - no matter how strong their bodies, he knew how fragile both of them were, deep down. It was that fragility that drew them together; they'd both been so close to breaking, they both knew how easy it would be to break completely, and Keith _vowed_ that he would protect Yuri from this moment onward. He suspected that he was not the only one who had made such a decision - his brokenness had become apparent long before Yuri's, and Yuri had been there all along.

It wasn't so easy as the decision, of course. Both of them had said and done awkward things along the way, and that continued as they cautiously tried to learn each other's bodies; neither had much experience, and Keith hadn't thought to acquire anything in anticipation of taking Yuri to his bed. Yuri, more forward-thinking, admitted he'd taken to carrying a wrapped condom in his wallet, just in case such an occasion arose, and that was enough; they both wanted each other too badly to spend time on further preparations. Their joining was perhaps too sudden, too clumsy, and Keith could see Yuri wince, but before he could clear his head enough to apologize, Yuri was moaning, open-mouthed, his back arching in a way that told Keith he had nothing to apologize for. Which was a good thing, because nearly everything but the beauty and the heat and the _need_ had flown from Keith's mind at the sight.

Their bodies rocked together, slowly at first, gaining in speed and depth as they became accustomed to the motion, Yuri even urging Keith on in quick, frantic murmurs breathed into Keith's open mouth between hungry kisses. Keith hardly needed the suggestion, except as reassurance; Yuri felt so good against him and beneath him and around him that it was all he could do to hold back just a little, enough to make sure that Yuri was enjoying it too. That quickly ceased to be a question, with Yuri's legs wrapped around his waist, his hands clutching at Keith's back and shoulders and his hair, as if Yuri were trying to pull him closer still.

Though it seemed that time had slowed, each second full of so much more sensation and wonder than Keith had thought possible, it still was over too quickly. Yuri sounded a stifled, shuddering gasp against Keith's mouth as warmth spilled over his hand and his stomach, and the sound and feel of Yuri's release echoing through his body into Keith's was enough to make Keith cry out, burying his face in Yuri's shoulder as he was likewise overwhelmed. It still didn't seem like enough, and his lips caressed Yuri's throat and collarbone even as they lay there trying to catch their breath. Breathing seemed less important than Yuri.

But eventually exhaustion caught up, and even Keith had to settle down, lying at Yuri's side with his hand resting on Yuri's stomach despite the somewhat sticky mess. Yuri took a deep breath, lifting his arm to reach up and brush the hair back from his face. Looking up at him from beside the pillow, Keith saw Yuri open his eyes, staring aimlessly up at the ceiling, then turning his head to regard Keith. Keith didn't know what to say, and maybe Yuri had the same problem, because they just lay there gazing at one another for a long time.

Yuri was the one to finally break the silence, and with all the things Keith had considered saying, Yuri's words were completely unexpected. "...You're real, aren't you?" he asked quietly.

That was a very odd question. Almost a joke... except that Yuri didn't look like he was joking. The only way Keith could respond was truthfully; he nodded.

"It seems as if you couldn't be," Yuri continued. "Someone like you... I wanted to forget reality for the moment," he admitted with a sigh, laying his head back and resting a hand over his eyes. "How does someone so good as you exist in the same world that could..."

He didn't have to finish that. "I know about reality," Keith told him, nuzzling against his shoulder. "Don't forget, I lived there too."

"But you're-"

"Real as you." Keith lifted his head, and smiled as Yuri took his hand away from his eyes to look. "We both wanted to make a difference in the world, didn't we?"

"...Yes."

"Then why shouldn't the world have become a place where better things are possible?" Keith suggested. "Or did you believe it was hopeless?"

Yuri sighed, but the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "Perhaps I did..."

Keith shook his head. "If nothing else, my world is a better place because of you."

Though Yuri didn't say anything, his smile grew more authentic, and he reached over to cup Keith's cheek in his hand, just looking at him for a little longer before closing the space between them for another kiss. This one was slower, relaxed, and lingered for a long time.

The high was beginning to wear off, Keith had to admit, because the less enjoyable parts of the real world were starting to return to him as they lay there in comfortable silence, absently touching and sometimes kissing. There was a lot he'd discovered today, much of it unpleasant, and some of it would need to be dealt with. Not so much what Yuri had done all those years ago, though Keith was sure it must have left lasting scars, deeper than he'd ever expected. What really was troubling was the idea that at some point, Yuri would leave, and he'd have to go back to that house, with his mother... Keith would have to _take_ him there. Keith didn't want to have to do that. And yet, that poor old woman had been through enough trauma, no doubt, and probably wasn't capable of living alone. Why else would Yuri still be there, taking the abuse...?

Keith was pondering his options, weighing the pros and cons - when his thoughts were interrupted by a loud, embarrassing gurgle. He glanced at Yuri, who fortunately only looked amused. "We never did have dinner," Yuri pointed out.

"You weren't hungry."

"That doesn't mean you weren't, obviously." Yuri rested his hand on Keith's noisy stomach, smiling fondly. "You should eat something - you've more than earned it."

"So have you." Keith smiled back. "I can fix us something."

"I'm still not hungry," Yuri admitted. "But you should eat something - I think I'd like to just rest here a little longer, if that's all right."

Keith nodded. "That's fine." Reluctantly, he sat up - he didn't want to leave Yuri, no matter how hungry he was. "If you change your mind-"

"I know where you'll be," Yuri finished, and sat up as well, brushing his hand back through his hair before leaning in to kiss Keith again. "Thank you, Keith."

"You're very welcome."

Keith took a pair of sweatpants from his dresser and glanced back over his shoulder on the way out, watching Yuri lie back down, settling himself on the bed. ...No, Keith told himself - he really _did_ have to eat, no matter how fascinating a sight it was, Yuri in his bed. And Yuri probably could use the rest. It had been a difficult afternoon, and an... active evening.

Before the kitchen, Keith paused in the bathroom to get washed up a little. John came to investigate, always curious, and Keith smiled as he tagged along to the kitchen. He did appreciate the fact that John hadn't tried to interfere, and rewarded him with a jerky treat before looking for food for himself - and taking the empty kettle off the stove. It had all boiled off, completely forgotten.

Quickly Keith determined that he was too hungry to take the time to cook himself an actual meal, when he already had plenty of quick snack items to get him by when his schedule was tight. On the other hand, he'd worked up an appetite, and was in the mood for something more substantial than a snack...

He'd found a happy medium, and had only started munching on the quickly assembled but thickly layered nachos that he'd just taken out of the microwave, when he heard his bedroom door open, and then the water running in the bathroom. A few minutes later, Yuri appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing only a pair of slacks and his button-down shirt, left unbuttoned. Yuri still looked perfect, Keith thought - even with his hair down and slightly disheveled, spilling over his shoulders. The fact that Judge Yuri Petrov was barefoot in Keith's kitchen was strangely intriguing.

The almost sheepish smile somehow made it even more endearing. "...It seems I'm hungrier than I had thought I was," Yuri murmured. "That smells better than I had expected." Keith just smiled back, holding out the plate, and Yuri reached for a nacho of his own.

It was funny how comfortable it was, standing there half-dressed in his kitchen and eating slightly messy finger food together, after weeks of dressing up for dates and dinners at nice restaurants. It was certainly a novelty seeing Yuri so undone, absently nibbling on nachos, even licking a bit of sour cream off his thumb. The relative silence was also unusual - but comfortable, as they simply had no need to communicate with words at the moment. If that felt just as right as everything else they'd shared, Keith supposed that was a good indication that it really _was_ right.

Yuri's eyebrow rose curiously when Keith turned to put his arms around him, leaning back against the counter. "I love you," Keith answered his wordless question, after a kiss. "I'm glad you're here with me."

"And I'm glad to be here with you," Yuri murmured, leaning against his shoulder. But Keith felt him sigh faintly. "I didn't want you to know."

No need to ask what he meant, or why he hadn't wanted Keith to know. "As a hero, I've never been in a situation where I needed to make that decision," Keith admitted. "But... there was a time before that where I... I think I might have done the same as you, if I'd had the strength."

"Mm." Yuri settled a little closer against him, his arms loosely around Keith's waist. "...I'll understand if you'd rather not say. But you mentioned your brother some time ago."

Of course - Yuri was good at putting the pieces together. Keith sighed; it might help Yuri feel better about what he'd done if he knew what had happened, but thinking about it turned Keith's stomach, and he didn't want to talk about it right after dinner. "...It's almost time for my patrol," he observed reluctantly, and drew back to look Yuri in the eye. "I don't think I have time to take you home again, and I... I do want to tell you about my brother, just not now..." And although Yuri might have responsibilities with regards to his mother, Keith didn't want him to go back there. Not yet. "So can you stay here? Please...?" he finished.

Yuri looked down for a moment, as if thinking, but then he nodded, his hands resting lightly on Keith's hips as he looked back to Keith's eyes. "Until you return?"

"Or overnight," Keith replied, suspecting he knew what Yuri was really asking. "If you can. I'd like you to stay the night."

"That could be arranged," Yuri agreed, with a soft smile. "Although I'm not used to spending the night in another's bed, I'd like to _become_ used to spending the night in yours."

Thinking about that, the idea that it might become a regular occurrance, was enough to leave Keith slightly dizzy. "I have a job to do tonight," he reminded Yuri with a smile of his own. "Don't tempt me to skip out on it."

"As if you could be tempted," Yuri teased, tracing his hands up Keith's sides and back down. "Model hero that you are - you wouldn't call in if you were on death's door."

Model hero... given the admission he'd made only moments ago, Keith wasn't so sure about that. But then again... "Temptation isn't a sign of corruption," he pointed out. "Not unless one gives in."

"Well, then... We'll keep an eye on the clock." Yuri leaned forward and kissed him again, running a hand up Keith's bare back, and Keith decided he had plenty of time to let himself be tempted for a little longer.

Just as it had been, everything seemed easy and comfortable, all the kissing and caressing and fondling. When John decided to keep them company - possibly more interested in the traces of melted cheese on the plate Keith had left on the counter, rather than what the two humans were doing - they just went with it, moving to the living room to laze on the couch with a dog at their feet until it was time for Keith to depart.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something seemed strange about the way Yuri was looking at him, after he'd returned from getting dressed to share a long last kiss. "...You _will_ still be here when I get back?" Keith asked. Just to be sure.

Yuri nodded, smiling at him from the couch. "John and I will both be right here waiting..." he began, but his voice trailed off, puzzled, as he glanced down at the floor. "...Curious."

Indeed, John seemed to have disappeared in the last few minutes. That _was_ kind of strange, and Keith took a glance back into the bedroom, then the bathroom. Sure enough, John was curled up on the bath mat beside the tub. "It's all right - he's right here." Still unusual for John to wander off when Keith was right there, but he'd been acting a little strange all night.

Keith went in to give him a scratch behind the ears, and received a wagging tail as reply. "Good boy," he murmured fondly. Nothing really wrong, then, he supposed. Maybe John was just jealous of Keith spending so much time with someone else. Maybe Yuri was just tired, and a little overwhelmed by everything that had happened. Keith couldn't say that he wasn't overwhelmed himself - if he was the sort of person who called in, he might have.

But as Yuri had correctly stated earlier, he wasn't. "It's a long patrol tonight," he told Yuri on his way back through the living room, grabbing his jacket to leave. "If nothing comes up, I should be home a little after midnight."

"I'll see you then," Yuri agreed. "Unless I fall asleep - I admit, I'm exhausted."

"That's not surprising." Keith couldn't resist giving him one more last kiss, then headed for the door with a grin. "In that case, you'll see me when you wake up."

And coming home to Yuri sleeping in his bed, he thought, might be worth all the worry and strange feelings and unpleasant admissions.


	10. Chapter 10

It would have been another night for barrel rolls and loop-the-loops over Sternbild, after the afternoon Keith had had, if not for the bad things that had prompted the good things. Sternbild was busy but safe, from all appearances, and Keith kept finding his mind drifting to that afternoon, to his exchange with Yuri's mother. How harsh and violent she'd been, but also how frail she appeared, how sad her life must have been... What Yuri must have been enduring while he cared for her, and the way his voice had sounded so lifeless as he explained to Keith.

Though thinking through that far frequently left Keith's mind drifting to the way Yuri had sounded later, and the look on his face, and that sent Keith's heart racing. He could hardly wait until his patrol was finished, so he could go home.

But then eventually he would recall that if Yuri was still awake when he returned home, he'd intended to tell Yuri about his brother, and Keith went right back to being anxious and uncertain.

Whether because of his worries or his eagerness to get back to Yuri, the patrol seemed to be lasting forever. It was by no means a bad thing that he wasn't spotting any suspicious activity, and that no one had reported anything worth calling out the heroes for, but a part of him would have welcomed something to do other than think about things he could do nothing but think about until he returned home.

That part of him went silent immediately upon spotting the flash atop a digital billboard almost directly in front of him - a bright blue blazing flash, appearing out of nowhere.

Immediately he changed course to intercept, and was about to send out a bulletin... when it occurred to him to hold off. Lunatic might be just the distraction he required, in that he was a _worthwhile_ distraction. Keith might even be able to make some sort of progress with him, if they had enough time before being interrupted.

And if Keith didn't call out the other heroes, they might have a great deal of time, he realized, because after that brief initial flare, Lunatic hadn't moved. He wasn't preparing the bowgun, and he didn't appear to be chasing anyone. He was just standing there, a relatively small figure atop the larger-than-life animated advertisement showing on the screen. He looked like he was just... waiting.

Despite Keith's hopes that they might have time alone to talk, he recognized that this might not be entirely safe, and he stopped some distance back, hovering several yards from where Lunatic had appeared. "...What are you doing?" he called, when Lunatic made no move whatsoever.

"I could ask you the same," Lunatic replied. Still he made no move, though Keith remained aware that his hands were hidden beneath the cape. "Aren't you heroes supposed to arrest murderers such as myself?"

Inside the helmet, Keith frowned thoughtfully. "Is that what you want, to be arrested?"

"What _I_ want...?" Lunatic's hands emerged from the depths of the cape, only to be held up, empty, almost as if surrendering. "What if I were to ask you the same? Do you _want_ to arrest me?"

Keith debated a moment before answering honestly. "...I'm not sure."

"It doesn't matter anyway, does it?" Lunatic inquired. "You are a hero - a hero must do what a hero is expected to do. There is no room for such selfish things as 'want', not for a hero. Isn't that true?"

Seeing as Keith hadn't immediately put out a bulletin that Lunatic had been sighted, that wasn't true at the moment, but he couldn't deny the truth in Lunatic's words. If he was already a less than perfect hero, he could be less than perfect for a short time longer. "What are you doing?" he repeated. "You're not after anyone... so why are you here?"

"Why should you heroes be the only one to observe...?" Lunatic mused. "Aren't we rivals?"

He had a point, perhaps. Maybe there was a target he was looking for, someone the heroes hadn't been briefed on yet. ...Like his last few victims. "What are you observing?" Keith asked.

"Currently," Lunatic replied, "I'm observing you."

That truly _did_ seem to be all he was doing at the moment - simply standing there atop the billboard, motionless except for the cape's movement in the wind and the play of the colored billboard lights shining up from beneath it. Watching Sky High. Considering the reasons for Keith's own "observing", and what Lunatic did to those he might be interested in observing, an eerie feeling abruptly settled over Keith. It may have been unwise not to call in that bulletin...

But he wanted to know. "I've asked you before," Keith began. "I've told you that I know how your recent victims were connected. I know that their mistakes, and their conscious actions, worked together and caused several children to be hurt." The Justice Bureau knew the names of those children, Yuri had told him, and had looked into their records. It seemed unlikely that any of them could have been Lunatic, but... "Were you one of those children?"

"I was not."

"Then why did you target them?" Keith asked. "There are many criminals in our prisons, some who have done worse."

"That does not mean their sins should be ignored," Lunatic responded. "For the torment they inflicted upon the most innocent, they deserved nothing less than destruction."

"Even if I were to agree," Keith said - because he didn't, but their differing ideologies were already apparent - "my question still stands. Why these specific individuals?"

Lunatic seemed to hesitate before responding. "I suppose I can admit that I find their story rather familiar."

So Keith had been partly right, then. "You were also an abused child... And the system failed you, the way it did those children?"

Lunatic shook his head. "Our laws have overseen many failures to secure proper justice, but I am not among them."

"But you said-"

"There is someone I know," Lunatic interrupted. "Someone as close to perfection as I have ever known. How so brilliant a soul could come to full bloom beneath the weight of such injustices, I cannot begin to understand."

That was not at all what Keith had expected. From the sound of things, it looked as though Lunatic was... in love?

"Why should you be surprised?" Lunatic continued, through Keith's startled silence. "When, after all, have my actions ever been about myself? Always Thanatos has spoken on behalf of those who could not speak..."

He had a point. Until now, Lunatic had been killing murderers - he couldn't possibly have been avenging himself. They had all assumed that he was just following his own personal ideal of justice, but in this case, at least, that wasn't how it was at all. "Does... this person... know what you're doing for them?" Keith asked cautiously. He could tell Yuri when he got back - they could go over that list of children again, Lunatic might be a spouse or a close friend or a family member...

"Hmm." Lunatic's head tilted slightly, in a gesture Keith couldn't quite understand. "If this person doesn't know already, I predict that it will be made clear soon."

 _That_ Keith understood clearly - it was a threat. He'd already waited longer than he should have, and now it was clear that he needed to contact headquarters, alert them to Lunatic's presence and the likelihood of him attempting to claim another life. He still believed that he had a chance at reaching an understanding with Lunatic, and it pained him to jeopardize that chance now, but Lunatic had been right earlier - as a hero, it mattered little what he wanted. He had to do his job within the guidelines of the Justice Bureau.

Perhaps sensing that Keith understood what he was saying, Lunatic's hands abruptly erupted in blue flame. "Sky High to headquarters," Keith began immediately, adopting a defensive posture. "Lunatic is-"

Before he could finish, Lunatic leapt from the top of the billboard, disappearing below it, and Keith rushed to follow as Lunatic launched himself into the sky from the top of the structure behind. "He's on the run. I'm following. I have reason to believe he's planning another strike tonight."

"All right, we're notifying the rest of the team," came the reply. "Do you know who his target is?"

"I don't," Keith admitted, turning as Lunatic changed directions, darting away as Keith began to catch up - he was, after all, the undisputed authority on Sternbild's skies. Of course, even if he did catch up, the flames propelling Lunatic would likely have prevented him from simply capturing the man.

"Is he... following someone?"

"I don't know. I don't think so." Keith realized he couldn't even explain how he knew Lunatic was almost certainly planning to kill again without explaining that he'd been talking to Lunatic rather than immediately notifying the rest of the team. Just as well, then, that Lunatic had given him no clues. Well... almost none. "Since I was not briefed on any dangerous criminals before my patrol, and I've seen no crime in progress in our area, I would assume that if he's going to try to kill again, it would be another incident like the last few."

"Right. Stay with him, we'll get the... Sky High, hold on a second."

"Yes." Though that didn't sound good.

Sure enough, only a few seconds later, he was receiving another transmission. "Sky High, there's a robbery in progress in North Silver," Agnes's voice informed him.

"I apologize, but I'm occupied," Keith began.

"What?!"

"Lunatic is-"

Lunatic chose that moment to stop short, shooting straight up into the sky like a rocket, and Keith followed... only to stop short himself as Lunatic vanished in a flash of his blue flame.

"What? Sky High, what about Lunatic?" Agnes was demanding.

"He's gone," Keith reported, still staring up into the sky above, bewildered. "I was chasing him. He just vanished above West Bronze."

"Vanished, hmm...?" Agnes might have been single-minded, and some would say her priorities were misplaced, but she was nothing if not shrewd. "I suppose we can spare a few heroes to look for him - the robbers are well-armed, but they're not NEXT. Rock Bison, Origami Cyclone, and Dragon Kid should be able to handle them, and it would be good publicity for any of them to come out on top tonight. I'll send Fire Emblem and Blue Rose to assist you - none of you would get much of a boost from stopping a simple robbery, but if the three of you apprehend or even _encounter_ Lunatic, that would make for far more interesting television."

Also a somewhat better match for his abilities. "Thank you, Ms. Joubert."

Keith remained in the area, searching the sky and the rooftops for any sign of Lunatic, though he suspected it was hopeless. Fire Emblem and Blue Rose had been briefed on the situation before their arrival, and were aware that Lunatic might be ready to act - but although the three of them searched the entire area, they saw no sign of him.

"Do you think he was headed this way to go after his victim?" Blue Rose asked, puzzled, when Keith came down to street level to speak with the two of them.

"There's nothing over here," Fire Emblem said dismissively. "He was probably trying to confuse poor Sky High, luring him away from his real target."

"So should we look on the east side?"

Fire Emblem shook his head at Blue Rose's suggestion. "He'd never be that obvious. Sky High, you're the one who spotted him. Do you have any idea who he was after?"

It was a good thing he was wearing his helmet, because he'd been told he was a terrible liar. On the other hand, Keith really _didn't_ have any sort of clue as to who Lunatic's next target might be, except... "I'm sure it must be connected to his other recent activities," he said. "But who, or how, or where... I don't know."

Fire Emblem sighed dramatically. "Looks like he's escaped us again for the night, then..."

"We can't just give up," Keith retorted. "Not if Lunatic's planning to kill someone else."

"But we don't have any idea where he went," Blue Rose reasoned. "All we can do is wait and see if he's spotted again - and if he is, move in fast."

Unfortunately, Keith had to admit that she was right. They simply didn't have enough information to make any sort of guess as to where Lunatic's next target might be located. Two people connected to the case had been in prison, one had been brought down in a poor section of town, and the very first had been killed near Justice Tower itself. Whoever else might have hurt the person Lunatic was avenging, in whatever way they might have hurt that person, they could be behind bars or walking free or asleep in bed...

"Cheer up, honey," Fire Emblem's voice suddenly chirped in his ear, as Nathan's long arm settled around his shoulder, the other hand coming up to chuck him under the chin of his helmet. "You've done all you could - and your patrol's already over. Don't you have something - or someone - you'd rather be doing on a Saturday night...?"

It was also fortunate that Keith was wearing his helmet because it kept his blush from being visible.

"Wait, have you heard something?" Blue Rose asked Fire Emblem.

"I didn't _hear_ a thing."

"Well, whatever! You didn't tell- Hey, wait!" Blue Rose exclaimed suddenly, as Keith took off into the sky again. It was true enough that there was somewhere he would rather have been, and someone he would rather have been with, than trying to evade questions about it.

Even so, he took a last flight around the city before going back. If Lunatic was still out there, planning to act, and he just went home, he'd never have forgiven himself.

It had already been more than an hour since Lunatic had vanished, though. The giant screen on the side of a building had been showing the highlights from the robbery attempt, which had ended quickly due to Dragon Kid's lightning jamming the electronics on the robbers' equipment. Sternbild was quiet once more; there was nothing left for Keith to do. 

...Fire Emblem's suggestion aside. Keith wasn't exactly in the mood at the moment, and he was sure Yuri would understand.

And then, by the time he had changed and returned home, it was past one. Keith let himself in quietly, certain that Yuri wouldn't have waited up so late. Not when he had already been exhausted. Once again, John seemed to possess an understanding of the situation, because he greeted Keith silently, with no more than a wagging tail and the clicking of claws against the floor. Keith gave him a good long round of scratching along the top of his head and under his chin, having a look around. No Yuri in the living room or the kitchen.

The bedroom door was open, so Keith could have a look inside without worrying about disturbing him. Not that he had to worry, because Yuri was just shifting to sit up. "Welcome home," he said with a yawn.

"Thanks... I'm sorry I woke you," Keith told him, stepping inside and closing the door.

"I'm not sure you could have been quieter," Yuri pointed out. "I wasn't very deeply asleep to begin with. How was your patrol?"

"Ahh... where to start?" Just thinking about it made Keith tense. He wanted to go back out, keep watch... but he had no clues to tell him where to focus his attention, and he _was_ tired.

"As bad as that, eh...? You _are_ a bit late," Yuri observed, leaning back on one arm as he glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

Keith hadn't noticed until he started taking off his shirt that Yuri had apparently decided to borrow one of his tees. ...For some reason, that realization dissolved a lot of his tension. "It was mostly quiet. Until Lunatic appeared."

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "I see... I can assume from your lack of excitement that you didn't manage to arrest him, but I suppose if he'd claimed another victim, you would be in a far worse mood."

Keith nodded, and reached for the pair of sweatpants he'd gotten out earlier. "He seems to have plans for another target, but he disappeared, and we haven't heard anything from him since. ...I may have gotten a lead on his identity, though."

"Is that so...?"

"I... It probably wasn't what I should have done," Keith admitted, "but before calling headquarters to alert them, I tried to talk to him. I think it paid off. I got an admission from him - assuming he isn't lying, but I don't think he is." Having changed, Keith sat down on the edge of the bed, turning to look at Yuri. "He said that he _wasn't_ one of the children affected by the situation with the previous victims - he said their story was 'familiar'. I thought he meant that he'd been abused, or had a bad experience in the foster care system. But then he said there was someone else he was doing this for."

"...Hmm." The suggestion caused Yuri to look thoughtful, but he said nothing more.

"Tomorrow, if you could go over the list of children that were placed in the Holtz household," Keith continued. "It may be that this other person wasn't directly involved, just involved in a similar case, but it's the only lead we have. We could look into relatives, close friends... spouses..." It was still a strange thought to him. "The way he said it, it made me think that he might be in love."

"Lunatic, in love?" Yuri sounded skeptical. "Do you think someone like him is capable?"

Keith couldn't help but feel a little defensive. "Yuri... I think I'm coming to understand him a little better. Not that I'm going to defend his actions," he clarified quickly, settling down on his side to face Yuri, "but aside from that one moral disagreement, he may not be so different from any of us heroes. He at least _thinks_ he's using his power to do the right thing, and he's not doing it for himself."

"A fair assessment," Yuri conceded. "But it's difficult to imagine him as an ordinary man, with an ordinary life... A spouse, a girlfriend... How could someone live with a person who could become Lunatic?"

"I think whoever he's doing this for may not know. He said they would know soon, though... Anyway, I could be wrong," Keith admitted. "It was just a feeling I had. And I know there are other ties besides romantic love that are just as strong, more than strong enough for someone like Lunatic to seek out specific targets." He knew that very well.

...Which reminded him that he'd been planning to talk about something else with Yuri before Lunatic's appearance had caused his thoughts to turn elsewhere.

Maybe it showed in his eyes that they had turned back, because Yuri reached out, resting his hand on Keith's hip. He said nothing, asked nothing - he just lay there looking at him, and touching him.

"I said earlier," Keith began, "when you told me about your mother... there was a time when I think I would have done the same. But I couldn't. I was too young... not strong enough." He paused, closing his eyes. "My whole life since that time, I felt I wasn't strong enough. When my powers developed, and I decided to become a hero... I was trying to prove to myself that it wasn't true anymore. And desperately afraid that it would be."

"But it wasn't," Yuri reminded him quietly.

"It wasn't," Keith agreed. "And every time I save someone from danger as Sky High, it reminds me that it's not true. Because I still can't quite believe it."

Again, Yuri said nothing. He just stroked his hand down Keith's side, a light, comforting touch, and waited patiently until Keith could put the words together.

Keith wasn't sure he was putting them together well - but with Yuri, who understood so much, it didn't matter. "...I suppose I can start with my situation," he said finally. "When I was very young, I mostly lived with my mother. She wasn't much of a mother," he admitted. "She provided me with clothes and food and a roof over my head, but nothing more. Aside from disapproval... irritation... I'm fairly certain she never wanted children to begin with, and I was an accident. Maybe that was why she married my father - though I only assume they were once married because we had his last name. I don't remember a time when we ever lived together. I stayed with him sometimes on weekends. I... actually looked forward to it," he admitted. "Not because of _him_ , but because he was living with a very nice woman. Ms. Jeanette was more a mother to me than my real mother, and she and my father had a son a few years younger than I was. ...My little brother, John."

Yuri's eyebrow quirked curiously. That was one of many reasons Keith never talked about it, though perhaps the least difficult. "Yes... like my dog. I've told the story of how I met _that_ John in the magazines..."

"Yes - you were passing a pet store and your eyes met," Yuri put in. "You felt that he was a kindred spirit."

Keith nodded. "The truth is," he explained, a little self-consciously, "inside the pet store window, there was a litter of puppies playing... except for one. He was just sitting by himself in the corner, with big dark sad eyes. John had dark eyes too, and always looked sad... I had this feeling, like..."

Yuri didn't react outwardly, but Keith still felt self-conscious trying to explain it. "I know it must sound crazy," he acknowledged with a sigh. "Adopting a puppy, naming him... But it makes me feel a little better, to think that... well, even if I failed my brother, maybe there's something of his spirit still in the world... something I can take care of. And sometimes, the way John knows what I'm feeling, the way he just listens when I need to talk to someone, I wonder if..." Keith grimaced. "Again, it must sound crazy."

One corner of Yuri's lip turned up. "I've heard of far 'crazier' ways to cope with a tragedy in the family."

...Of course he had. Keith thought of apologizing, then decided it would be better not to acknowledge anything specific. "Anyway, to continue. For the longest time, I didn't know why John's eyes always looked so sad - I thought it was just how he was."

"Your father...?" Yuri prompted.

"Unlike my mother, I don't _suspect_ he never wanted children," Keith said. "I don't have to. He said it to our faces plenty of times. But Ms. Jeanette loved us... and I had a little brother, and so even if my father didn't want anything to do with us, I liked staying with him. I wasn't alone there like I was with my real mother, and besides, I had no other father figure to compare him to. I didn't know it wasn't how all fathers acted."

A quiet, thoughtful sound from Yuri made Keith pause. "You had the same problem?"

"The exact opposite," Yuri said quietly. "Before he began drinking, I'm quite certain that Papa was everything a child could have asked for in a father."

...And yet, Yuri had still... There must have been more conflicting feelings in Yuri's head than Keith could even imagine. He shifted his arm, taking Yuri's hand in his and just holding it, resting their hands between them on the mattress. "I'm sorry."

Yuri shook his head. "You already know about my father... You were telling me about yours."

"Right." Keith tried to remember where he was in the telling; he had probably given enough background. "...Anyway... to get to the point. When I was ten years old, there came a weekend... It was Sunday afternoon, and John and I were running around outside, playing games, like we always did. My father came to the door and said it was time to take me home. We were in the middle of ... I don't even remember what." Which was strange, considering how clear other parts of that day still were. "...It's not fair..." he muttered, "that I can remember everything else, but not that last _good_ moment."

"There is a great deal of unfairness in the world," Yuri agreed, squeezing his hand.

"We would know..." After a moment, Keith continued; that hadn't been what he was trying to talk about anyway. "...I said I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay a little longer. My father refused." Yuri's hand tightened on his again when he paused, and Keith took a deep breath before continuing. "In a way, it was my fault."

"It isn't your fault," Yuri said automatically.

But Keith shook his head. "I wouldn't accept all the blame, but I do accept my part. John idolized me. And when I stood up to my father, and kept arguing with him, John was standing there watching, he saw it all... and I think he decided he was going to do the same. Ms. Jeanette wasn't feeling well, so my father had to drive me home himself, and he had to take John with us..." Keith's voice wavered and broke for a moment, and he pressed his hand against his eyes, trying to bring himself under control.

"Keith," Yuri murmured. "If you don't want to talk about it, please don't. My curiosity is not more important than your wellbeing."

"It's not about your curiosity," Keith mumbled. "I want to tell you. I want you to know. It's just hard to... actually _talk_ about it. I haven't ever talked about it to anyone, not since the trial."

"Then it's no wonder it's difficult," Yuri said. "If you insist on talking about it, then please, take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

Keith smiled a smile he didn't particularly feel, though he _was_ grateful for Yuri's kindness, and he squeezed Yuri's hand in return. "Thank you." But he'd gotten this far into the telling, and he might as well keep going. 

"Anyway. John decided on the way to talk back. He told our father that he didn't want me to leave either, and he was mean for making me go home when I didn't want to, and he hated him." Keith shoved his hand up through his hair, absently tugging on it in his frustration. "He was only seven... he didn't really know what he was saying. In fact, when he started saying worse things, I think he was only repeating things that my father had said to him or Ms. Jeanette."

"Very likely," Yuri agreed.

"But my father couldn't do anything to John while he was driving, except tell him to shut up. Over and over, he told John to shut up, getting madder and madder, and since he wasn't doing anything worse, John didn't. So finally... we pulled over to the side of the road, and my father..." Keith took a deep breath, then another; this was where it got bad. "He dragged John out of the car, and started hitting him. Just... grabbed him by the collar, and started hitting him. Again and again."

Yuri's eyes went a little colder. "No one stopped to help?"

"They lived way out in the country," Keith said. He was breathing too fast, and he couldn't stop. He remembered everything - the post where a sign had once stood, the treeline up ahead at the edge of someone's property. He shouldn't have remembered it so clearly after all the time that had passed, but he did. "It wasn't a busy road... and it was getting dark. I don't know if anyone went by, or if they could have seen it if they did. I wasn't expecting something like this to happen, and John was screaming... then he wasn't..." 

Yuri squeezed his hand again, and Keith held on tight - Yuri was the only thing keeping him from entirely slipping back into that moment. "I was so scared, and mad... I got out of the car too, and tried to actually... I don't know why I thought I could do anything - I was just a kid. But I couldn't sit there and watch. Or turn away. I thought I could... fight him off, or something." And now that he was trying to explain it, he was seeing it all over again. The texture of the upholstery on the inside of the car door, the sound when the lock popped up, the tall grass and the slight slope that his father had thrown John down before grabbing him again and holding him up again by the shirt collar. The way the broken metal door handle bit into Keith's hand when he went to open it...

Keith couldn't deal with it, and laid back on the pillow, covering his eyes with his shaking hands, trying to block it out. Again Yuri just reached out and rested his hand against Keith's side, stroking lightly, waiting patiently until he could go on... giving him something else he could focus on. Something to help him remember he wasn't a helpless little boy anymore. Keith couldn't find the words to say so, but he was grateful.

And after a while, he could continue. "I don't really remember much of what happened after I got out of the car. It's all a blur..." All he could remember after a certain point was grass swishing over his face and dirt on his hands and... his father's fist, he supposed, not that he could actually recall what was hitting him. 

"I woke up in bed at my mother's house," he said, after a long pause to collect himself. "With a terrible headache, and for once in her life, she actually looked worried about me. Scared, in fact. She said I shouldn't have done what I'd done... and when I asked about John, she looked even more scared. She told me he'd run away, and no one could find him. I knew John wouldn't have done that, he was too little, too scared. I told her what happened..." Keith swallowed hard. "She just said he'd run away. And that I couldn't talk to anyone about what happened, because they'd never let me and John be together again if they found out what happened."

"But you knew that wasn't the truth," Yuri murmured.

"She didn't let me go back to school, because I'd been beaten up pretty bad," Keith mumbled into his hands. "She didn't want anyone asking questions. I wasn't allowed to see anyone, or talk to anyone. But she still had to go to work, and one day while she was at work, the phone rang. She'd told me not to answer it, but I forgot and answered it anyway, and it was Ms. Jeanette. ...And that was when we both realized that something was all wrong. There _was_ a search going on for John, because my mother and father told everyone, including her, that John had run away. But according to them, he'd gotten out of the car while it was parked in front of my mother's house, so he was lost somewhere in Sternbild."

"...Ah." Yuri murmured. "It is, after all, much more difficult to find someone in Sternbild."

"That must have been what they were thinking," Keith agreed. "But I told Ms. Jeanette what happened while we were still outside the city, and she got really upset. She didn't know about any of it - she'd been down with a bad flu bug, and they told her that I was stuck in bed because I caught it from her. She had no idea. But she believed me, and she called the police to tell them. And then..." Keith drew a shaky breath, still covering his face. The worst part of the telling was past, but having it confirmed had still been a shock. "A few hours later, the police showed up at my mother's door. They'd found John's body buried in a shallow grave, out in a field not far from the road we took."

Yuri's hand stroked along his arm from wrist to elbow again, and then after a brief hesitation, Yuri rolled over, wrapping his arm around Keith's waist and just lying there against him. Keith gratefully reached for his arm, clutching it and holding on. "It's all right," Yuri murmured. "You don't need to go on."

"No, it's okay," Keith insisted. "I've already told the hardest parts." Already he was starting to calm down a little, after having said that much. "The rest, you can probably guess. The case went to trial, and the evidence spoke for itself. They took statements from me, and that was more than enough for a unanimous decision. My father was sentenced to seventy years. My mother had helped him cover it up, willingly, and was sentenced to fifteen years. ...Which I guess means she must have gotten out a few months ago," he realized. "I wouldn't know - I haven't spoken to her since."

"Unsurprising," Yuri muttered. "And with both your parents in prison, that's how you wound up in foster care..."

Keith nodded. "I wanted to live with Ms. Jeanette. She wanted me to live with her too, but we weren't actually related. And with my father in prison, she had no income," he explained. "She told me during the trial, that was why she'd stayed with him, even though he'd beaten them before - she couldn't have supported John without my father's income. Staying in that house was the worst decision she'd ever made, she told me, and I tried to tell her it wasn't her fault... But either way, the judge ruled that she couldn't take custody of me - she would essentially have been a single woman, on welfare, with no way of supporting a child."

"And instead of a loving but poor environment, they sent you to an affluent but hostile environment."

"Yes..." Keith's head hurt, like there was a strong pressure behind his eyes. He didn't recognize it until he felt warmth trickling down from the corner of his eyes, towards his ears. His eyes overflowed when he blinked, and he could feel himself cracking.

Though he couldn't help but feel ashamed, Yuri just reached up to stroke his hair, kiss his cheek, as Keith shook with quiet, painful sobs. Perhaps it made sense that he was crying like a child, when he'd revisited a childhood like this. Just... he'd never dared to even think back to it around someone else, it was too painful, like being turned inside out. He rolled over, curling his knees against his chest.

But Yuri moved with him, holding him close. Wrapping himself around Keith, kissing the back of his neck, his shoulder. "It's all right now," Yuri told him soothingly. "...No, I suppose that's not true. It never leaves you, does it? But it's in the past. No one can hurt you like that again, Keith."

"I know," Keith mumbled. "I know... Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," said Yuri. "If anything, I should be apologizing. You didn't have to tell me any of this."

"No, I told you for a reason." Remembering that made Keith feel a little bit stronger. "After what you told me earlier... I just wanted you to know you're not alone. Anyone would have done what you did. After all I found out about my father, what he'd been doing to John and Ms. Jeanette..." His fist clenched in the pillow under his head. "I would have done anything to have stopped him. I hated him. I still hate him. And my mother too, for helping him - like he hadn't done anything wrong. Like John didn't matter at all. It seems so unfair that people like them are alive, even being cared for in prison... and my little brother is dead."

Yuri nodded against his back, and pressed a kiss against the top of his spine, making Keith shiver. "Then you truly do understand."

"I do." With a great effort, Keith managed to calm down enough to uncurl himself, rolling over to face Yuri despite the tears still in his eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong. You saved your mother. I wish _I_ could have had your strength, so I could have saved John."

"You were younger," Yuri reasoned, brushing back Keith's bangs gently. "No doubt smaller. It wasn't that you were weak."

"Yuri, I don't want to talk about it anymore," Keith said desperately. "I just wanted to tell you how it was. So you'd know you're not a bad person. Not unless I'm a bad person too."

"You're not," Yuri told him. "You're the furthest thing from a 'bad person' I've ever known, Keith." He leaned in, giving Keith a soft kiss. "Reliving such painful memories for the sake of my conscience only proves it. Shh..."

Keith was still trembling, from both anguish and anger, but Yuri kept on holding him, touching him gently, kissing him softly until the tremors had become only intermittent shudders. "I'm lucky," Keith said at last, when his voice was calm again. "So lucky to have met you. Thank you..."

"No, thank _you_ ," Yuri said. "I consider myself the lucky one."

Keith leaned his head forward, towards Yuri's, so close he could feel Yuri's breath. Maybe they were both lucky.

"I would offer you some reassurance or distraction," Yuri added a moment later, "the way you did for me earlier. But I believe you could use the rest more."

Keith nodded slightly, the position they were in making their noses bump. He didn't mind. He'd been exhausted when he got home, and now after telling the story, he was even more exhausted. Already he felt like he could have drifted off to sleep given a few minutes silence. "Just stay with me?" he asked drowsily.

"I told you before," Yuri said, stroking Keith's hair and then resting his arm over Keith's waist. "I'm not going anywhere."

Sure enough, Yuri stayed just where he was, only shifting a little to get more comfortable as Keith gradually relaxed. And though he took Yuri at his word, he wrapped his arm around Yuri too. It wasn't that his past seemed further away with Yuri there, but it seemed to be... less something to be feared. Their pasts, terrible as they were, bound the two of them together in a unique way - and they both had overcome. They were still overcoming, together.

Keith let himself dwell on that thought, letting it take over for the disturbing thoughts and emotions, as he slipped away into a dreamless sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

It was still dark when the chime of his PDA woke Keith out of a deep sleep, and he was momentarily disoriented to find someone else with him in bed, also stirring at the sound. Upon remembering, he spared a second to give a gentle squeeze to Yuri's shoulder before bringing his wrist up to have a look; Yuri was likely just as disoriented as he was.

The message that scrolled above the blinking call sign woke him up in a flash, and his eyes widened. "Yes," he responded, making his voice firm even though his heart was sinking. "Are his whereabouts known?"

"He's long gone," responded a voice - Antonio's. "That's why they didn't call you immediately."

" _Someone_ should have called me immediately," Keith retorted, starting to sit up.

"You had a late patrol last night, and stayed out even later," Antonio pointed out. "By the time they found the body, you'd only been gone an hour - since it wasn't likely Lunatic stuck around that long, they decided to let you sleep instead of chasing someone you wouldn't find."

That made sense, though Keith still couldn't help but disagree. This was his mission, he'd known something like this was going to happen. He never should have come home...

The mattress moved beneath him; Yuri was sitting up too, wrapping his arms around Keith's waist and leaning on him sleepily, his chin resting on Keith's shoulder as he made a quiet, curious sound. It was something of a relief just to have him there. This affected him too, however. Keith raised his wrist so Yuri could see the scrolling message as well, and felt Yuri draw in his breath.

"Origami and I hadn't been doing much anyway, and Fire Emblem was still up..." Antonio was saying. "We figured you usually get up around this time, though, so it was about time to give you a call."

"All right. Where are you?"

"North Bronze Prison. At least he got someone who definitely..." 

Antonio seemed to remember who he was talking to and trailed off, for which Keith was grateful. It was true that the North Bronze prison was the place where the worst of the criminals tended to be held, but that still didn't justify Lunatic's actions. "I'll be over as soon as I'm done suiting up." He would have preferred to stay in bed, with Yuri leaning on him the way he was, but this was his job, and this in particular was his responsibility. He should have been out there from the start.

"Not really necessary," Antonio said. "We've gone over the scene, and there's not much to see here, especially since they removed the body. Barely even any fire damage this time - it's like he wanted to do it quietly instead of putting on a show. We just thought you should know. After all, you were right."

"I'd rather have been wrong," Keith murmured, more to himself than to Antonio, and Yuri squeezed him from behind.

"Oh, and Sky High, honey!" Nathan had obviously taken over the line. "We haven't been able to get in touch with Judge Petrov - no one from the Bureau's been able to reach him. Since the two of you are so friendly, maybe you know a better number for him?"

"I, ah, might be able to track him down." Keith was extremely glad they weren't on video, seeing as Judge Petrov was currently listening to the conversation over Keith's bare shoulder, his hands idly resting in Keith's lap. "I'll see what I can do."

"Okay, then. We'll talk to you later!"

Yuri turned his head to whisper in Keith's ear. "Who was the victim?"

Good question. "Wait. Who was the victim?" Keith repeated.

"A man named Jack Palmer," Nathan replied. 

Keith froze. Everything around him appeared to have abruptly gone fuzzy and sideways.

"Awful man," Nathan continued. "Apparently the bastard beat a little boy to death."

Keith didn't know what else Nathan might have said - he was suddenly having trouble breathing. Or rather, there was something wrong with the air, because while he was breathing, he also felt like he was smothering, sucking in one breath after another, trying not to choke. And Yuri's arms tightened around him, making it harder still to breathe - that must have been what it was, his lungs were being crushed.

"Keith," Yuri said, sounding muffled and distant somehow, and Keith couldn't figure out how to get back to him. The arms were still squeezing him, and he didn't have enough breath to tell him to stop, he couldn't breathe...

The next thing he knew, he found himself flat on his back, with Yuri bending over him. He could only tell it was Yuri because of the long hair falling over his shoulder, pale enough to be visible even in the dim half-light and through the fuzziness of Keith's vision - he was still breathing too hard. "Keith," Yuri murmured again.

Yuri's hand was touching his cheek, and Keith reached up to grab hold of it tightly. "It's not me," he gasped. "It's not me, I'm not Lunatic. I'm not, I swear it, I'm not-"

"Keith." Yuri's voice was calm, but firm, and it helped Keith to ground himself a little bit. "I know you're not Lunatic. No one could possibly _think_ you were Lunatic," Yuri said, clasping his other hand over Keith's. "Not only do we know what your NEXT power is, and that it's not blue flame - everyone in Sternbild has seen you _chasing_ Lunatic on live television."

"Ah... yes..." Little things like that had escaped Keith in the shock of the revelation. He sucked in a deep breath, and tried to hold it.

"And besides," Yuri continued, holding fast to Keith's hands, "it sounds as if when Lunatic claimed his latest victim, you were lying beside me in this very bed."

"...Telling you about the victim," Keith murmured. Relinquishing his grip on Yuri's hands prompted Yuri to release his grip as well, and Keith could press his hands against his eyes. "Yuri, how could this... how... _why_ did..." He couldn't even sort out all the different questions in his mind, let alone speak them.

"Shh, calm down," Yuri murmured, stroking his hair. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. If there is to be blame, let it be on the one who actually killed."

It wasn't until Yuri suggested it that Keith realized - blaming himself wasn't the main problem at all. There was a certain amount of guilt, yes, but only for having failed to stop Lunatic from claiming another victim. He felt no guilt for having been saying, possibly simultaneously with his father's death, that he hated the man, or that it wasn't fair that he was still alive. That wasn't why he had panicked. It was only that Lunatic's current vendetta was hitting closer to home than he ever would have imagined it _could_.

"Yuri..." It came out almost as a moan. "Why is he... It's _me_ , isn't it?" Keith realized out loud. "When he was talking about that special person... he was talking about _me_. Why would he say... or even _think_...?"

"I'm somewhat less concerned about why at the moment, and more concerned about how," Yuri remarked, his voice growing colder. "How would Lunatic know your secret identity, let alone your birth name? Or..."

"Or what?" Keith was anxious to hear _any_ explanation for this.

"It occurs to me," Yuri said, resting his hand on Keith's wrist, "that you are a friendly, charming man. If you were the same as a child, it might be that Lunatic is someone who remembers Keith Palmer as a friend - and has no idea whatsoever that the same childhood friend is within the armor of Sky High."

"...I don't know if there's anyone who's ever thought that highly of me, or that I've ever been as charming as you seem to think I am," Keith admitted, taking his hands away from his face to look up at Yuri. He was shaking, he discovered. "But I suppose it's possible..."

Yuri smiled softly at him. " _I_ think that highly of you. Is it so strange that someone else might as well?"

"To me? Yes."

Yuri's smile widened slightly, and he brushed his hand over Keith's hair again. "Regardless of what you think, you are _unnaturally_ endearing. But I do understand what you mean."

Keith almost smiled back... but there was too much to be preoccupied by. "Either way, whether it's Sky High or Keith Goodman or Keith Palmer... it's me, isn't it? The person Lunatic is obsessed with is me..."

"Shh," Yuri told him again, taking his hand. "If that's how it is now, then it's been the case for some time, hasn't it? It doesn't change anything to know."

"So all this time..." The scope of the discovery was beginning to settle in on Keith now, and it was larger than he'd thought at the start. "...He was killing these people for me. For my sake... He sought them out because of me."

"It would certainly be an explanation for Lunatic's recent activity," Yuri agreed quietly. "But Keith, again - don't blame yourself. I know that you don't believe in Lunatic's kind of justice. I know that you would never have raised a hand against any of these people yourself. It is Lunatic who decided to seek them out and avenge you - it isn't as if you've had any hand in that vengeance."

And again, although Keith couldn't deny that he did feel a partial sense of responsibility for the deaths, that wasn't what was really bothering him. At the moment, what was really bothering him was that he found himself... slightly flattered. Horrified, and incredibly anxious about Lunatic's motives, but even so - he couldn't help but feel a little flattered. The idea that someone cared enough about him to want to hurt those who had hurt him...

Keith raised his free hand - and turned his arm, momentarily distracted by the wristband. Dark, thank goodness.

"I took the liberty of ending the call when you became upset," Yuri confirmed, seeing where Keith's eyes had gone. "The conversation was all but over anyway. They've heard none of this."

Having that reassurance, Keith rested his hand over his eyes again with a shaky sigh. "He's doing this for a reason. He'll try to get my attention again."

"Most likely," Yuri agreed. "And I know better now than to suggest you should take some time away, and attempt to avoid engaging him. But I must ask - if he appears again, what do you intend to do?"

Keith shifted his hand, threading his fingers through Yuri's. "...I don't know," he admitted. "I don't have any idea."

"If you'd _like_ to be excused from your duties while you sort this out," Yuri suggested, "I could make it happen. I could explain your identity to the rest of the Justice Bureau - they can be trusted to keep it quiet, and even your fellow heroes would never know."

Before he had even finished speaking, Keith was shaking his head. "No. This is my responsibility. Now more than ever, this is my responsibility. If this is happening because of me, I won't hide."

"I must say, I'm concerned about this development," Yuri murmured. "If Lunatic is, as you say, obsessed with you - as you suggested last night, perhaps obsessively _in love_ with you - then you might be in a very dangerous situation."

"He's never seriously tried to hurt me before," Keith pointed out. "I'm not comfortable knowing that he might think of me in such a way..." He thought back to their earlier encounters, the sense he'd gotten from Lunatic and the way he'd acted. "It really would explain everything."

"Hmm..." Yuri resettled their clasped hands upon Keith's chest. "Keith... What do you plan to do about this?"

"Again, I don't know." There was so much to consider, so many sides and so many complications... They didn't even know for certain that it was true, or why Lunatic had singled him out - or which aspect of him had been singled out. "Even if he does contact me again," Keith thought out loud, "I can't say anything. If it's Keith Palmer he's obsessed with, and he doesn't know who Sky High is, I would be giving away my secret identity."

"But how likely is that, I wonder?" Yuri pondered. "It's possible that someone might have broken into the records, or that there might be a leak... Can you think of anyone that you might have known as a child who would have an interest in regaining your attention, or avenging the wrongs done to you?"

Keith shook his head. "...Except Ms. Jeanette," he amended, "but she couldn't be Lunatic."

"Are you positive?"

It was such an outlandish thought that Keith almost laughed - before he realized that Yuri was serious, and had every right to be. And as unlikely as it was, he made himself actually consider the possibility. "A voice could be changed," he acknowledged, "but Lunatic is too tall, and physically fit. Ms. Jeanette was always frail, and would be older now."

Yuri nodded, apparently considering that good enough. "I take it you haven't kept in touch."

"No..." That was one of Keith's many regrets, but he couldn't help it - given the situation at the Holtz's home, they hadn't permitted him to have much contact with anyone outside the household.

...And that reminded him of something else he hadn't considered. 

Keith sucked in a deep breath, and pushed himself upright. "Yuri," he began, "I am going to ask you to do something that might be considered an abuse of power... But it may be necessary to prevent another killing."

"Oh...?" Yuri gave him a curious look. "I can't say yes unconditionally, but it's _you_ asking. I have no doubt that you wouldn't suggest anything even slightly underhanded unless it were necessary."

"There's nothing underhanded about it - it's just that you have an advantage I don't, and I would like to make use of it." Keith was calmer now, having come up with something he could do about the situation. Something that might even manage to be useful in multiple ways. "And I'd prefer no one else know about it. Not the other heroes, at least. And if you were to explain to the Justice Bureau, you might have to explain _everything_ to the Justice Bureau. But all I really want to do," he said, "is find out where my mother is."

Yuri's eyes narrowed somewhat. "Your real mother?"

"My real mother." Keith nodded. "If Lunatic is going after everyone who hurt me as a child, she might be the next target."

Yuri's face was neutral, unreadable. "Wouldn't you prefer to have someone backing you up, if you intend to defend her?"

"What's going on right now is between myself and Lunatic," Keith stated.

"And I can't help but notice," Yuri observed, "that you're not particularly distraught about the death of the father you said only hours ago that you hated. You went so far as to say that-"

"I know what I said," Keith broke in. He didn't want to hear it again. "Right now, she's not my mother, but a potential victim. That is all she is to me at the moment - a potential victim - and I will protect her accordingly."

Still wearing that unreadable expression, Yuri reached up, stroking his hand through Keith's hair. "This task should go to someone else," he said softly. "The connection between you and Lunatic is unknown, and may cause complications we hadn't anticipated. Not to mention, you have a volatile personal history with the possible target. It would be irresponsible for me, both for your sake and for hers, to allow you to take on this responsibility."

"That's why I said it might be considered an abuse of power," Keith muttered. "But it's _already_ my responsibility." Maybe not officially, but for once in his adult life, Keith felt strongly enough about something to go by pure instinct, instead of by the books. " _Please_ , Yuri."

"I never said that I _wouldn't_ allow it," Yuri said, his hand combing through Keith's hair again, then resting on his shoulder. "Only that it would be extremely irresponsible of me."

Keith could acknowledge that. "Please... Just trust me."

"It's not a lack of trust at all," Yuri said. "On the contrary... If I distrust anyone's motives in this, I distrust my own. After the story you told me earlier, can I be sure that _I_ have any interest in securing proper protection for this woman? After all she did to hurt you?"

...Perhaps it was time to be honest. "I've... asked myself the same question," Keith admitted. "If it were me, as a person... I'm not so sure anymore. But because it will be Sky High on the job, I have no choice." Strange - Lunatic had given him the answer himself only the night before. "Sky High is a hero, and I will act like a hero because I _am_ a hero."

Yuri nodded thoughtfully. "Then you are a far better man than I," he said, "because regardless of my personal feelings on the subject, I'll help you."

Keith wouldn't say he was a better man at all, given his own personal feelings - a better _hero_ , perhaps, but no more. Regardless, he sighed in relief and reached up to draw Yuri down into his arms. "Thank you," he murmured, and leaned closer for a kiss.

"...And putting aside the issue of the identity of his potential next target for now," Yuri said, after a few slow, sweet kisses, "there's still the matter of Lunatic's apparent fixation with you. Will you confront him about it?"

"I can't," Keith said. "If he doesn't know my secret identity, I don't want to give it away."

Yuri nodded slowly. "And if he confronts you...?"

Keith closed his eyes. He still didn't know.

"He seems to have made it clear now, just who he's avenging," Yuri reasoned. "If he does know your secret identity, he may stop being coy."

"I..." Keith hated to admit it. "I already wanted to hear what he had to say," he said finally. "I was already willing to give him a chance to speak... and if he chose to surrender himself, I already would have offered to stand at his side as he went through the process. Everyone, no matter who they are or what they've done, deserves to have a friend who understands."

"And if, as you suspected, it turns out that Lunatic is in love with you?"

Keith looked up to Yuri, lying at his side, watching him with that unfathomable expression. "...You have nothing to worry about," he assured Yuri with a small smile. "I'm already spoken for."

Yuri didn't smile back, even when Keith reached up to caress his shoulder. "If you and I hadn't found each other when we did...?"

Keith's smile faded. That was a much more difficult question. He had, after all, begun to think before this revelation that perhaps Lunatic was a kindred spirit. Then, he had been strangely flattered at the discovery that anyone would go to such great lengths for his sake. Even if the great lengths Lunatic had gone to were completely mad, if Lunatic were to turn himself in, submit to the authorities...

But no - he couldn't have justified it even so, and he didn't care to admit that he suspected that he might even have considered it for a moment. "...He's _Lunatic_ , Yuri. But either way, it doesn't matter," he said, "because we did."

This time, Yuri smiled a little smile himself, if an odd one. Before Keith could say anything, Yuri leaned over for another kiss, and another, and another. Keith let Yuri roll them over so Keith was on his back beneath him, smiling up at him gratefully as Yuri worked a hand down inside the waistband of the sweatpants Keith had worn to bed. If Lunatic was going to strike again that night, he would already have done so, and Antonio had said there was nothing for him to do at the scene of the latest killing... so there was plenty of time for some reaffirmation before the two of them left.

\---

It was Sunday morning - and fairly early Sunday morning at that. Justice Tower was quiet, dark. Yuri had been there at such odd hours so often that the echoing of footsteps down the empty halls never struck him as ominous anymore. But today, the two sets of echoing footfalls was somehow disturbing. He wasn't used to doing such things with another at his side.

He had been intending to come here later in the day, for precisely the same purpose. And just as he had planned, Yuri had to be the one conducting the search, though it was unexpectedly not for his own purposes that he was searching. Unlike Keith, he knew the finer points of background checks and legal terminology, which databases would provide which information, how to fine-tune the queries so as to narrow the search results down or to cast a wider net. He had done this many times, both for the demands of his job, and to assist in his after-hours activities.

It was different, though, with Keith there. As usual, Yuri had one screen showing the broadcast coverage of the breaking news; as Sternbild woke up, they were being informed that Lunatic had struck again. Though the sound was kept so low that Yuri couldn't hear what the anchorwoman was saying, he could see the pictures they displayed. File photos of Lunatic, Jack Palmer's mug shot from many years ago - far younger and less haggard than the face Yuri had seen the night before. Once, Keith had made a quiet, choked sound, and Yuri had looked up to see that same picture of a grinning young boy with his arm around the shoulder of a more subdued little brother.

Yuri's hand abandoned the search, reaching over to touch Keith's. "Would you like me to turn it off?"

"No, no... it's all right," Keith said quietly, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "I haven't seen that picture in years. I haven't seen John..."

The broadcast cut to an interview with the head of security at the prison, and Yuri turned his attention back to the search. This time, his father's ghost was _not_ hovering beyond the display, watching.

But either way, the search was ostensibly not for his own use, and when he reached the final conclusion, he said it aloud. "I've found her."

"You found her?" Keith turned away from the broadcast, and scooted his chair closer to see.

"Kelly Palmer, incarcerated at North Bronze Prison," Yuri began, clicking back to the first of the files he'd left open. "Transferred to the women's prison after seven years. Released after ten years, for good behavior."

Keith's eyes widened. "She's been out for..."

It was difficult for Yuri to believe too, and had momentarily made him second-guess his choice. Seeing the way Keith had reacted to that old photograph of him with his brother, however, had set him straight. "She changed her name not long after her release," he continued, clicking over to the next file. "Having been granted a divorce from Jack Palmer, she seems to have reinvented herself as Karla Reed. And then, three years ago, she was remarried, to Paul Tracy," he finished, clicking over to the next. "Her legal name is now Karla Tracy."

Keith seemed a little dumbfounded. "That was... easy." 

"All this information is simple enough to find in the legal records," Yuri said with a slight shrug. "Every criminal incident, incarceration, release, name change, and marriage is kept in a database - one only needs to have access, and know how to search." He clicked over to the next and final file. "And although her number and address are not listed, there are two people by the name of Paul Tracy in the directory. The other is listed with a wife named Judith."

"So that's where she must be..."

"I can't be absolutely certain, of course," acknowledged Yuri. "But I believe this is where you will find her."

Keith closed his eyes with a sigh, sagging forward slightly in his chair as some of his tension evaporated. "Yuri... Thank you. Thank you so much..."

"It was no trouble," Yuri told him, resting a hand lightly against Keith's cheek and leaning forward to kiss him. "No trouble at all." He had been meaning to run the same search on his own later, after all.

But since he was now doing it for Keith instead, he was now considerably less certain of what he, personally, was going to do with the information.

It would have been simple to lie. There were plenty of possible points of divergence - Kelly Palmer was not a particularly rare name, and in a city as large as Sternbild, there might have been more than one. Her maiden name was similarly common. He could have given Keith the address of the other Paul Tracy. But he couldn't bear to intentionally give Keith the wrong information. Not Keith, who trusted him - and even somewhat trusted his alter ego, without even knowing his identity. Even if Keith hadn't questioned the error that had led to Lunatic claiming another victim while he was directed elsewhere, Yuri couldn't have let Keith believe he had failed again. When the former Kelly Palmer died, there would be no fault to be found in Keith.

Unfortunately, finding a path that would lead to that resolution had just become more difficult, with Keith immediately declaring his intention to protect her, and asking for Yuri's help. Lunatic couldn't beat him there to finish the job, as he'd attempted to do in the case of Amy Holtz, and with the connection between the "random" killings now fully known, there was no chance of misdirecting Keith's attention. They both knew without a doubt who the next victim should be.

"...Yuri? What's wrong?"

He'd been sitting there, leaning forward from his own chair with his hand on Keith's cheek, lost in his thoughts for, apparently, too long. "I'm still concerned about you," he replied. It was the truth, after all.

Keith rested his hand on Yuri's knee - and then on second thought, sat forward further to put his arms around Yuri. "I can't say I'm not worried too," he admitted, "But I need to do this. And Lunatic has never seriously tried to hurt me..."

Yuri's arms embraced Keith in return. "It's not the physical danger I'm concerned about."

Keith nodded. "I know this won't be easy... No matter what happens, this won't be easy on me. I'm going to see my mother again - and if Lunatic appears, I'll have to defend her. Even after what she did..." Keith's head drooped forward, resting his forehead on Yuri's shoulder. "And then, I still don't know what Lunatic's expecting of me..."

"I'd say it doesn't matter what he's expecting," Yuri suggested, rubbing Keith's back lightly. "As long as what he finds is _you_ , I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

"I wish I had as much faith in me as you do," Keith murmured.

Yuri rubbed a little harder. "...You don't have to do this." It would make everything so much easier if he didn't.

"Yes, I do." Keith sat up straighter, backing off to look Yuri in the eye, hands resting on Yuri's shoulders. "And no matter what happens, no matter how bad things are, I'll be all right. I survived my childhood - I can survive this. Especially since now I have you to come back to."

"Yes, exactly." Yuri caressed Keith's back more lightly, sitting back himself. "No matter what, I'm on your side." That, at least, was certain. And if Keith believed that it was enough, then Yuri would try to trust that he was correct.

"...I should go get my suit," Keith said, after a long moment spent looking into Yuri's eyes. "I need to get to her before Lunatic finds her."

"I suppose." Seeing as he and Lunatic had determined her whereabouts at precisely the same time, Keith's chances were rather good. "Keith, be careful."

"I will." Keith smiled, and for the first time that morning, it looked completely genuine. Tired, a little worried, but genuine. "I want to come back to you."

Another last kiss, and then Keith was gone, headed down to the lockers. Yuri sighed, pressing a hand against his head. This had become... complicated. He might have been tempted to call it off - except for the way Keith talked about his mother, and the expression on his face when he'd seen that photograph of himself with his brother. No one involved with hurting Keith so deeply could be allowed to escape judgment, particularly with no more than ten years in prison. Yuri had looked up how, precisely, Kelly Palmer had been involved in covering up John's murder, and even if she hadn't killed the boy, she had seen the body. Rather than reporting her ex-husband, she had placed the life of a murderer above the life of an innocent little boy when she helped him to dispose of it.

But although Yuri was determined that Lunatic must finish his crusade, he didn't have to make any sort of move right away. Perhaps a better opportunity would present itself if he waited. And in the meantime, he had something to do, Keith having discussed his plans on the way over.

Yuri picked up the telephone and dialed one of the numbers he knew by heart. "Good morning, sir. I apologize for my lack of response earlier - I was away from the house, and had forgotten my cell phone. However, I'm now at the tower." 

He swiveled in his chair, leaning back casually as he listened to the predictable question. "As a matter of fact, I was just discussing the matter with Sky High, as he engaged Lunatic last night before the murder. We believe we know who Lunatic may target next, and Sky High is keeping watch. I ask that you keep this information confidential, however - it has come to our attention that there may be a leak within the Justice Bureau, or perhaps within the HeroTV organization. ...Yes, I agree, and I hope that we're mistaken. In the meantime, please tell no one."

It was what Keith wanted - and whatever Yuri decided, he knew it would be much simpler without interference.


	12. Chapter 12

Keith's first glimpse of his mother was... disconcerting, to say the least. It had taken some time after he arrived at the location Yuri's files had specified; an old townhouse in West Bronze, nestled between other old townhouses, most of which were zoned as duplexes, most of which were empty. Keith wasn't even sure which half of the building his mother might be living in, arriving during daylight on a weekend, though there were two cars in the driveway - someone must have been home, but it was difficult to tell where. For the time being, Keith had settled down on the roof of an adjacent building, keeping a low profile, to watch and wait.

And think. Depending on how soon Lunatic might make his move, Keith might have had a lot of time to think. And maybe that was a good thing, because there was a lot to think about. But maybe it wasn't, because he didn't _really_ want to think about any of it.

Like his father. Specifically, his father being killed, and more specifically, his father being killed by Lunatic. Keith couldn't quite wrap his head around the last, and he definitely already knew how he felt about the first, so he tried to sort through the middle before anything else. He couldn't say he felt any grief over it, but it was still a shock, especially knowing that he'd only just been talking about Jack Palmer for the first time in fifteen years, and he'd been killed that very night. Like there was some kind of connection between them, as much as Keith didn't want there to be, even after all that time...

Well, there was. The connection, apparently, was Lunatic. And that didn't make any sense at all.

He was still sitting there mulling it over on the rooftop when his helmet's vision enhancements spotted movement inside the townhouse. Keith straightened up immediately to pay attention, and watched as a woman opened a window on the upper level, leaned out for a moment to look around, then disappeared inside again.

Keith recognized her at once, but at the same time, he didn't understand how it could be her. She looked so different... so much older, and her hair was a little longer and curly and auburn now instead of blonde, but that was his mother. Definitely his mother. He was temporarily bewildered by how she had changed so much when his father had looked exactly the same after all this time - and then realized that the morning news had been showing the same booking photo of his father that had been taken when they were arrested. There probably weren't any pictures of his father that had been taken since the last time they saw each other face to face. That too was a mildly disconcerting thought, but Keith was sure he would have recognized him anywhere.

After all, he still recognized his mother well enough that just seeing her made him feel weak and sick. Better for it to happen now than when Lunatic showed up, he told himself, and settled back to continue his watch, forcing himself to breathe evenly. Perhaps by the time Lunatic showed himself, seeing her wouldn't make him feel like he'd been punched in the stomach - and in the soul, for that matter. Maybe he'd have heard her voice, and come to terms with hearing it. And then he would be prepared, and there would be no danger of repeating what had happened with Amy Holtz.

He was also aware that it might take a very long time before anything happened, if anything were to happen at all. Between the name changes and marriage and unlisted directory status, Lunatic might have some trouble tracking her down, and it was possible that might not be his intention at all. But Keith couldn't risk it - he wasn't going to wait and see how far Lunatic was going to take this before he took defensive measures. Considering the speed with which Lunatic was capable of striking, Keith wouldn't have the chance to stop him if Lunatic arrived on the scene before he did, so he simply had to be there already. And so he would. 

He had prepared as well as he could for the eventuality of a long stakeout, bringing along some food and water so he wouldn't need to leave. The rooftop from which he was watching had been selected because it featured a few large heating and cooling units he could stay between, so he wouldn't be easily seen. It wasn't overly hot, and his suit was insulated, with an internal cooling system if the weather did take a turn for the unseasonably warm, so he would remain comfortable enough. Except, of course, for the part that he would be in his armor all day and all night. Not to worry - he had been tired enough to fall asleep in his armor before.

In fact, as the daylight began to fade, and he took off his helmet briefly to eat something, he caught himself yawning. That wouldn't do. Keith wasn't expecting Lunatic to strike while the sun was still up. While Lunatic _had_ killed during the day before, he usually claimed his victims at night, and therefore Keith was intending to stay up all night to watch, regardless of how little sleep he'd gotten the night before.

He'd nodded off, he discovered, when the sound of the window being shut startled him awake. It was nearly dark now, and that meant he needed to be watchful. Due to the cover of nightfall, he was less visible now than he had been, and he took advantage of it to move around, doing some simple exercises to get his blood flowing and wake him up. In fact, he could keep it up for a while, as a replacement for his usual workout at the gym and his daily jogging with John. He just needed to keep one eye on the townhouse - which appeared to be only half occupied, since lights came on only on the upper level. The angle was such that he couldn't get a good look at the inside, only patches of floor, the corner of a dresser. And then eventually, the lights went out.

Keith kept watch all night, keeping himself awake with exercises, sometimes taking a quick flight around the block. He saw nothing suspicious at all, and after what seemed like a long, agonizing eternity spent trying to fend off some of his least favorite memories, he saw the sky lightening in the east.

Not too long after, he saw his mother again; the lights had come on inside the townhouse, then after a little while they had gone off again. Keith got his first real look at her as she came out the front door and got into one of the cars. ...Of course, she would have a job. She was always more interested in work than in her own son. 

...That was unnecessarily bitter, he admitted. This wasn't an affluent section of town by any means, but living in any part of Sternbild was expensive - she probably needed the job. She'd needed the job back when he was a boy, too. Just, she'd ignored him when she _wasn't_ working, too. He'd made his own breakfast, lunch, and dinner nearly every day once he was old enough to go to school, up until she... well, helped cover up his little brother's murder, so maybe it wasn't _unnecessarily_ bitter. Regardless, he couldn't be thinking about that now. Just in case, Keith followed her car, knowing it wouldn't be particularly unusual for anyone to look up and see Sky High patrolling the city from above. If she even looked up at all. At first he thought he was mistaken, she was only going to the supermarket... but when she parked off in the side lot, he realized - it must be her job after all. He wasn't proud that he found himself feeling slightly smug at the realization - he himself had worked at a supermarket for a little while before his powers developed and he suddenly had an unexpected career option. It wasn't a job to be ashamed of... But it was the kind of job that he suspected his mother would hate.

He wasn't proud of it regardless, he thought, setting down briefly on the roof to consider his next move. And to consider his state of mind - this whole incident was making him think and feel many things he wasn't proud of, and it had been for some time. Yuri may have been right to be concerned about him. But the fact that Keith was still aware that these thoughts and feelings weren't healthy or fair or at times even sane - was he really so mad that he might have been willing to consider Lunatic's interest in him? - awareness of the problem that meant that he was all right... didn't it?

Lunatic had attacked before in daylight, yes. With other people around, yes. But only when the other people were also of questionable character - convicts in a prison yard, for instance. Keith found it very unlikely that Lunatic would attack his mother in a supermarket in broad daylight, and decided to fly back to his previous perch atop the neighboring townhouse. It might be a good opportunity to get some rest, because he would be on watch again that night.

Though he hadn't slept that night, and not much the night before, Keith wasn't at all bothered when his personal cell phone beeped shortly after noon, waking him and telling him he had a message - because when he opened it, it was a picture of John. The picture had been taken from behind, fluffy tail dominating the lower half, the leash disappearing at the side of the snapshot as he cheerfully bounded along in front of the photographer. Keith smiled, and sent Yuri a grateful text response. Dog-walking wasn't a typical activity for Yuri, but when Keith had expressed concern about how long he might be gone on the stake-out, Yuri had volunteered, seeing as he'd joined them on a few outings previously. Keith missed both of them already. 

Before he drifted off again, he managed to get his first glimpse of his mother's current husband, or so he assumed, when the man exited the townhouse and went to the other car, presumably to go to his own job. He was fairly unimpressive. Nondescript, clean-shaven, dark-haired. Broad. A lot like Keith's father. Keith had nothing against broad, dark-haired men in general, but the realization that his mother had remarried someone who looked similar to his father left him clenching his fists unconsciously. 

Assuming the standard eight-hour shift with a half-hour lunch break, Keith had set a timer to go off approximately when his mother might be returning home, and returned to dozing until it went off. It was time to be watchful again, and he kept an eye out for the car she'd driven earlier, until he spotted it approaching. There was nothing unusual; she parked in the street in front of the townhouse and went inside. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened a few hours later, when her husband came home too. It became dark, and lights turned on. His mother came out to move her car into the driveway. Eventually the lights went out, and Keith spent another night trying to keep himself awake and occupy his mind with something other than resentment.

Even so, by the time his mother left for work again the next morning, Keith was tired and unhappy enough that he wanted to quit. Making matters worse, he'd gone through the water bottles he'd brought, and despite the whole thing turning his stomach, he was running low on rations. So he _had_ to leave, at least to get more provisions. 

...And that gave him an idea. Maybe not a good idea, but a lot of the things that had been in his head lately weren't good, and that didn't keep him from dwelling on them. This idea was the same way - once he'd thought of it, he couldn't stop thinking about it, and his heart was beating so fast just thinking about it that it should have been clear that it wasn't a good idea. But at the same time, he wasn't sure he could stop thinking about it until he did it.

The pack he'd brought his food and water in also contained some regular clothes, and after flying over to his destination, hidden behind the rooftop units, Keith slipped out of his armor, throwing street clothes on over the dark undersuit. He looked like a fairly normal kind of guy... who just happened to be climbing down from a rooftop into an alley. It was all right, no one seemed to be looking his direction - and then he could just go on into the supermarket like anyone else. Well, like anyone else, except that his hands were shaking in his pockets, and his skin was crawling, like he was being watched. But that was ridiculous. She didn't know he was there; he was the one who was looking around, searching.

He found what he was looking for more easily than expected. She was right there in the front of the store, working at one of the checkout lanes. Then again, finding what he was looking for only made him more nervous, especially since he now had the perfect opportunity to approach her.

He could put it off for a little while. After all, that wasn't the only reason he was at the supermarket. He wandered the unfamiliar aisles for a little while, finding the items he'd been intending to buy. A six-pack of sports drinks, a package of jerky, a jar of peanut butter to go with the crackers he still had, a few bananas... He couldn't imagine swallowing any of them, though; his throat seemed to have closed up. Possibly because his heart was stuck in it.

Eventually, though, he had to make his way back to the front of the store. Keith cradled his purchases in his crossed arms to keep his hands from shaking noticeably, and approached the checkout lanes, a million terrifying questions and possibilities swirling in his head. Would she even recognize him? What would he say if she did? ...What would he say if she _didn't_? There were so many things he wanted to ask her, so much he wanted to say, and even though this wasn't the time or place to say any of it, he wasn't sure if he could stop himself. What if he couldn't stop himself from just... screaming at her, creating a scene in front of everyone? The knot in his throat grew tighter and tighter, until he could hardly stand it.

"Excuse me, are you in line?"

"N-no! Uh, no..." It was an innocent question, asked by an innocent shopper carrying her own basket of groceries - a young woman, casually dressed in a long dress and a scarf, completely non-threatening - but it still broke down the last remnants of courage that Keith had been trying to hold onto. He stepped back, letting her into the lane, and... chose another lane, a few rows away.

He was a coward. An utter coward. He kept catching glimpses of his mother over the magazine racks and candy displays as he waited in line, and she rang up other customers. Scanning things, bagging things, handing over the receipt, laughing a little at some unheard comment the customer had made... How could she laugh? How could she laugh, after what she'd done? Knowing that she'd done it... that she still had a son somewhere in the world, and she had been out of prison for _years_ and not even looked for him... Keith could still go over there, after he was through his own line - he now had people in front of him and behind him, and couldn't help but feel trapped, claustrophobic - he could go over there and _demand_ answers.

Instead, he mumbled a vague "Thank you" to his own lane's checker, grabbed his bag with fingers that trembled so badly that he missed the first time, and practically ran for the exit, keeping his head down. Just as well, because by the time he made it as far as the alley, he was crying. Instead of climbing back to the roof, he sat down against the wall, hidden behind a dumpster, and buried his head in his arms, letting all the rage and frustration and fear he'd been holding in come out as giant, shaking sobs.

When he managed to pull himself together enough to get back to the rooftop and put on his hero suit again, he didn't fly back to the townhouse. He just wanted to go home.

John was waiting for him - Keith could hear him bouncing around excitedly on the other side of the door as he unlocked it. This was good, because John was exactly what Keith needed at the moment. As soon as he was inside, he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around the dog's neck, letting himself cry some more now that he had soft, thick fur to bury his face in. John was patient and comforting, nudging Keith with his nose, making concerned little whines at him, and just staying put as long as Keith needed. When Keith finally made himself get up to lie down - on the couch, because he was too exhausted and miserable to go any further, and never mind that he was still wearing most of his hero suit - John followed, curling up at the end of the couch for Keith to rest his head upon.

He must have fallen asleep almost immediately, because the next thing he knew, the sound of a key rattling in the lock made him open his eyes. The door opened, and Yuri took only a single step inside before stopping short. "...Keith?"

"Yuri..." Keith mumbled, rubbing his eyes and starting to sit up. He was somewhat disoriented; between the crying and the sleeping and still being in his hero suit, which had caused him to fall asleep at an awkward angle, it was no wonder.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here," Yuri said, closing the door behind him. "Did something happen?"

"Uh, no..." It took a second for Keith to remember why he was there to begin with. "Nothing important."

"...Did you give up?" Yuri asked. "I admit I'd be relieved if-"

He was cut off abruptly by John's low growl, which stopped him in his tracks only a few steps towards the couch. "John - what's wrong with you?" Keith asked, puzzled, as he stroked the dog's head lightly. "It's only Yuri." John continued to growl, though, intent on staring at Yuri. "I don't know what's gotten into him all of a sudden," Keith admitted. "He seemed happy when you were walking him yesterday."

"Yes, that's why I came by now, in fact," said Yuri, remaining where he was. "John and I enjoyed a nice walk yesterday, and I thought I might spend today's lunch break doing the same. I suppose it's not necessary anyway, if you're home."

"Mm, well..." Keith had gotten distracted for a moment, but he had never gotten around to explaining why he was there. "I'm going to go out there again. I just needed a break."

"Understandable. You'd been out there for almost two days." Yuri paused. "You look upset. I'd offer to sit with you and listen if you'd like to talk, but I have the feeling that John wouldn't allow it."

Keith might have been irritated about that, if John hadn't been so comforting himself. "Just a moment," he said finally, getting to his feet and taking hold of John's collar, leading him towards the bedroom. "No matter the reason, he's going to have to learn that you're welcome here too." John didn't resist, just gave Yuri a distinctly wary look over his shoulder from the hallway.

When he was secured in the bedroom, Keith returned to the couch, and gestured for Yuri to join him. "I've seen my mother," he began, as Yuri sat down beside him. "And I've... I didn't realize that seeing her would..."

It was nearly impossible to put what he was feeling into words, but he tried. Since Yuri simply sat and listened, as he had said he would, Keith wasn't sure how successful he was, but at least Yuri was there and listening.

Listening and apparently thinking. "Keith... this doesn't make me _less_ concerned for you," Yuri said, once Keith had largely exhausted his words. "If I'd known that seeing her would trouble you so much, I would have counseled you more strongly against this. I feel obligated _now_ to suggest you stop."

"I'm not stopping." Keith was firm.

"Lunatic hasn't appeared."

"He might not have found her yet."

"He might not even be _looking_ for her," Yuri pointed out. "How long are you going to stay there before you decide that it's safe?"

"I don't know... We've already been over this," Keith reminded him. "We discussed it before I left."

"And you didn't have a clear answer then either. I was satisfied enough then to ignore it because it seemed as though it might be good for you, having something that you could do to make a difference in light of the revelations." Yuri shook his head slightly. "But now that I've seen how it's affecting you - I would rather forbid you."

"But you can't."

"Unfortunately. You're torturing yourself, and I don't like to see you hurt."

"It's better than allowing Lunatic to take another life," muttered Keith, resting his head in his hands.

Yuri's hand rested on his back - fortunately Keith had removed the jetpack before settling down on the couch. "It's not your burden to bear. With all due respect, she hasn't been your mother for fifteen years."

"She was never much of a mother," Keith corrected him.

"So let me assign someone else - even if only in shifts," Yuri suggested. "If being near her and yet unable to confront her is causing you distress, and yet you would rather not think of her as anything but a potential victim... With any other potential victim, you would allow others to help. Why not this one?"

"Because the person she may become a victim of is Lunatic. Because of me." It seemed simple enough to Keith, even if everything else was so complicated. "No matter who it was, I would still want to be there if he appears."

Yuri's hand stroked between his shoulders gently. "...Have you decided what you would do, then?"

Keith shook his head. "Not exactly. But I want to see what he'll say. And if he doesn't say anything... I'll find a way to ask him."

Yuri's hand strayed up further, to comb through Keith's hair. "Ask him what?"

"Why... And how." Simple, basic questions, _because_ everything was so complicated. 

Yuri sighed faintly, rubbing the back of Keith's neck. "...I'm not sure whether I hope that he appears, so that you might get some answers... or that he doesn't appear, so that you won't have any further stress placed upon you."

"I'm hoping that he does," Keith murmured. "And soon. I want this to be over with soon. One way or another."

"I'd like that too," Yuri said, after a brief pause, and leaned in to draw Keith closer, so he was slumped against Yuri's chest. 

No kissing, no touching - just Yuri holding him, and that was all Keith wanted at the moment, drained as he felt. After a while, he could straighten slightly. "Thank you," he murmured.

"You're welcome," Yuri replied, and finally did kiss him softly, when he straightened up further. "Are you feeling better?"

"Kind of," Keith acknowledged. "Maybe I just needed to talk through all of it to make up my mind. Again, thank you."

"Whatever I can do to help," Yuri told him. "So may I ask - what have you made up your mind about?"

"I made up my mind that I can't give up."

Yuri gave him a curious look. "I'd never had the impression that was a possibility."

"I didn't want it to be." Keith managed a weak smile. "Being with you reminds me of who I am."

"Hmm." Yuri smiled in return, looking pleased.

"And I made up my mind that I do want to face Lunatic," Keith continued. "I was afraid before. And after I tried to approach my mother, _everything_ seemed to be a threat. But you make me feel like I could face anything."

"I know the feeling. In fact, I think we've already faced the worst," Yuri said, and Keith observed that he seemed to be more relaxed as well. "What demons did we have to overcome to get to this point...? So many from our pasts, and then nothing is so terrifying as the terrors we create within ourselves - but here we are."

"Yes, here we are," Keith agreed - and since they were both there, he leaned in to kiss Yuri again.

He might have been tempted to take it further, if he hadn't still been so tired, and probably somewhat dehydrated, judging from how groggy he still was. But Yuri sat back after a moment too. "...I've probably exhausted my lunch break," he admitted. "What do you plan to do?"

"I think I'll nap for a little longer, without the suit on," said Keith. "Then I'll go back and keep watch. If I don't try to approach her again, maybe it won't be so bad."

"And maybe you'll be lucky and Lunatic will appear soon," Yuri suggested, standing up and straightening his collar. "If that really is what you want."

"It is, but maybe not tonight," Keith admitted. "I'm not sure I'll be in any shape to face him."

Yuri nodded slightly. "Indeed... Rest well, then. Whenever he does appear, I wouldn't want you to be unprepared."

"No..." That would be the worst thing that could happen, Keith thought. Having Lunatic appear while he was still out of sorts mentally and physically, and then having to deal with whatever Lunatic thought he was doing...

But in the meantime, Yuri was still there, and so Keith leaned forward to hug him around the waist. Yuri seemed startled at first, but then rested his hands on Keith's shoulders. "Hmm?" he inquired.

"I'm just glad you're here. And that you will be here."

Yuri's hand settled on his head, ruffling his hair a little. "I will. If you run into any difficulty, whether it's Lunatic appearing or simply dealing with seeing your mother again, feel free to call me."

"Thanks..."

Though Keith did feel much better, once Yuri had left, he did still feel like he'd been turned inside-out. To the kitchen, then, for a glass of water, and he took it with him as he went to change into something more comfortable to sleep in.

John was still in the bedroom, of course, curled up in a ball. He lifted his head hopefully, his tail wagging, when Keith opened the door. "Are you feeling better now too?" Keith asked, kneeling down to scratch him. "...I don't know why you're acting like this, even after him coming over to take you on a walk... but you're going to have to get used to Yuri being here too." Of course, John had had all his attention for quite a while. That was the only thing Keith could think of.

In the meantime, John was welcome to all his attention, for as long as Keith was awake - which he was fairly certain wouldn't be long. Once he was out of the hero suit, he set his alarm for late afternoon and then just flopped down on the bed, patting the mattress next to him as an invitation. Sure enough, once he was lying down, in ordinary clothes and with a warm dog curled up at his side, Keith fell asleep quickly, and this time comfortably.

\---

Yuri was running out of time. Not literally, of course - so long as he knew where his target was, Lunatic could strike at his leisure, and under the present circumstances, it seemed unlikely that she would be going anywhere. However, his consideration for Keith's emotional state made things considerably more tricky. Lunatic needed to strike quickly, to avoid the infliction of further trauma. The longer Sky High's watch continued, the more physically and emotionally exhausting it would be for him. As Keith himself had said, better to put a quick end to it.

He was most certainly not going to back down, of course. Especially now that Keith had told him of the near-confrontation with his mother; the woman had inflicted so much pain on her son that even _seeing_ her hurt him. That on its own might have been inexcusable, simply because it was Keith who had been hurt. Besides, even if he had decided to change his mind, how would he have made that clear to Keith, who was intent on remaining on duty until Lunatic appeared? If Lunatic was a murderer as the heroes claimed, it would be only a small thing to consider him a liar. Even if Keith did claim to trust him up to a point, it would have been absurd for Keith to take him at his word.

And that was not how Yuri was going to remove Keith from the equation. He was pleased that his alter ego had managed to gain some of Keith's trust, and he would by no means willingly destroy it. On the contrary... he was quite curious about how much truth he might be able to trust Keith with. Depending on what sort of questions Keith asked, and his response to what sort of answers he received, it might be possible that they were progressing towards an eventual understanding - the revelation of the biggest secret of all. Yuri had assumed from the start it was unlikely, but perhaps not as unlikely as he'd once believed.

Then again, it was Keith, and Keith was Sky High and Sky High was Keith, and if ever there had been a perfect hero, it was Sky High. Yuri was excellent at compartmentalizing the life of Yuri Petrov and the life of Lunatic, but he suspected that Keith would not be willing to make such distinctions; he wouldn't be capable of keeping Yuri's secret. A shame, really. Perhaps if he had first approached Keith as Lunatic, rather than Judge Petrov... but then, the mask would have had to remain on. They would always have had that barrier between them; there wouldn't have been the kissing, the gentle touches and caresses and Keith's fingers stroking through his hair.

Such fantasies were not helping him reach a decision, he reminded himself. He was good enough at separating his personal business and his professional business to have finished out his work day without being overly distracted, but now, after hours, he remained at Justice Tower, pondering the situation over another cup of tea. Keith had unwittingly given him an extension, saying that he hoped Lunatic wouldn't appear that night - and Yuri would respect that - but he had also wanted to move things along. Yuri would have preferred to respect his wishes in that regard as well.

The problem, of course, was that there were several things he wanted to avoid. A head-to-head battle, for one, and not only for the obvious reasons. He had no desire to hurt Keith, or to be hurt _by_ Keith, naturally - but he also didn't want Keith to feel that he had _lost_ a battle, or failed in his duty. And it was clear enough to Yuri, if it came to an all-out battle between the two, Lunatic would win. He hadn't come anywhere near the limits of his power while engaged in battle with Sky High in the past, and though it was possible that Keith might also have been holding back, it didn't seem likely.

Yuri also would have preferred to avoid a lengthy wait between the time Lunatic served his justice and the time when he could go to Keith as simply Yuri. There was probably no way to kill the former Kelly Palmer without Keith being utterly unaffected; it was a death on his watch, and the death was someone closely connected to him, and in his mind, because of him. Yuri had seen Keith's reaction to his father's death, after all, and expected his mother's death to be little different.

"You can leave at any time," Yuri said aloud, to the visitor that had been standing motionless and silent across the room. How many times, he wondered, was he going to have to kill his own father before the man was truly dead?

Yet it was true, the woman whose death he was currently plotting was unlikely to cause serious damage to anyone else. She had been in prison, and released early on good behavior, and seemed to now be living a rather ordinary, harmless life according to the records, and Keith's firsthand account.

Yet she had hurt Keith, and was still hurting Keith simply by existing.

Yuri found that he was clutching his face, and he forced himself to stop.

His own mother had rewarded him for saving her life with years upon years of blame, and yet...

Yuri closed his eyes, inhaling sharply. He was not thinking about _his_ mother at the moment. He was trying to determine what to do about Keith's. Keith, who had never done anything that his mother could blame him for, aside from being so inconveniently born. His own mother's behavior made sense; she was traumatized and ill. But Yuri had read the transcripts of the trial - Keith's mother had no excuses, aside from still desiring approval from the husband from whom she had separated years ago. Unrequited love was an unhappy thing, Yuri supposed, but was no excuse for assisting a murderer.

His father wouldn't have taken her life.

Yuri was not his father, for many, many reasons, and he steeled himself to open his eyes again, taking another drink of his tea.

He needed to think. Perhaps about the way Keith had looked when Yuri had let himself in earlier. That helped him to focus; he never wanted to see Keith look so miserable again. He needed to punish those responsible for making Keith so miserable in the past and in the present. That was all that mattered.

However, he also needed to remove as much blame and responsibility from Keith as possible. There _must_ be a way, he thought, to keep Keith from protecting his mother and yet allow him success at his job - some way that he could still feel like a hero, though he had permitted Lunatic to kill again. Ideally, he could also find a way for his everyday persona to be nearby without arousing suspicion. There was a relatively simple way to accomplish that part, he acknowledged, but it would not allow him much time for the rest.

The tea was long gone by the time Yuri had managed to piece together a possible plan. It was far from finalized, but he did have another day to puzzle out the details, and he had made a great deal of progress.

The ominous spectre of his father stood guard the whole time, watching him with a look of disapproval. Yuri put away the tea set and stood, keeping his eyes stiffly elsewhere as he brushed past, on his way to the door. There were a great many more evils in the world than those which Legend had been able to capture, or even recognize. Lunatic's mission was different, but no less noble, and far less hypocritical.


	13. Chapter 13

Keith was calmer, more rested after his brief hiatus. The watch he kept seemed far more manageable, and so did his feelings about it. His mother's car was in the driveway when he resumed his place on the rooftop, and he watched the lights go out in the darkness, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

But his thoughts were still a mess when it came to his mother, more than they had been about his father. His father had done something worse than his mother, to be sure, but it was his mother Keith had had to live with, whose disinterest and bitterness had affected him every day. If he'd had the opportunity to meet with his father, Keith would have had nothing to say, no questions to ask, unlike the case with his mother. Neither of them deserved Lunatic's punishment - he had reminded himself of that repeatedly, every time he thought he might be close to overlooking that part of the whole matter - but he couldn't bring himself to be upset about his father, exactly...

His thoughts and feelings about Lunatic might have been more complicated than those about either of his parents. He couldn't condone Lunatic's actions at all, but he could understand them. Except for the part where it was about him, and he didn't know why or how. Was Lunatic trying to bait him into doing something? Trying to convince him that the kind of justice he dispensed was more just than that of the heroes and the Sternbild legal system? Or was he just trying to do something... _nice_... for Keith? Had Sky High won Lunatic's respect somehow? Or, as Yuri had suggested, was it someone who didn't know that Keith was inside the armor of Sky High?

And either way, what did he think about the fact that Sky High hadn't been looking for him, out on patrol, at the usual times? If Keith flew over the city, would he find Lunatic somewhere atop one of the skyscrapers or the billboards, waiting to speak with him?

What would happen if Lunatic wound up waiting for Sky High for longer than he thought reasonable?

There were no signs that Lunatic was coming - not that there ever _were_ signs - and so Keith dared to slip away from the rooftop, rising into the sky and surveying the cityscape, even taking a quick trip to the location where he'd last seen Lunatic. It was just as well he saw nothing; Keith still didn't know what he would have said if he'd found him.

The neighborhood was quiet and undisturbed when Keith returned, and remained so until dawn. His mother didn't leave for work this time, and Keith considered his options. He still didn't expect Lunatic to attack in broad daylight, and he was still right there... so if he rested a bit, it wasn't likely to cause any trouble. Indeed - the sound of a car door slamming woke him a short time later, as his mother's husband left - and again a few hours later, when his mother left also. Perhaps she simply had a later shift that day, Keith supposed, and that was just as well. It gave him more time to relax and rest, if he was to assume that Lunatic wouldn't attack her at her job. Though on the way out, after dark, that was another matter. Keith made a note of the time she left, and when that suggested her shift might start, and estimated approximately when she might be leaving if she was to work an eight-hour shift as usual. He could fly over and keep a lookout beforehand.

Unless, of course, he received a transmission through the communications in his helmet earlier. He was groggy, having been dozing, when the beeping roused him shortly after dusk. "Yes. Sky High speaking - I am ready to assist," he said automatically as he shook off the sleep, having forgotten for the moment that he was allegedly excused from normal hero duties at present.

He was normally quick to wake up when duty called, but the hollow echo of the voice that replied through a faint veil of static startled him awake even quicker. "So I see..."

The voice itself was familiar by now, apparently - or maybe it was that the hollowness simply confirmed it. "How did you get on this channel?" Keith exclaimed, sitting up straight.

"I have my ways," Lunatic replied.

It was the least important of the questions Keith could have asked anyway. "Are you..." Maybe he shouldn't ask if Lunatic was nearby - he might not tell the truth anyway. "Why are you calling me?"

"It would be dishonorable of me to leave you at a disadvantage," Lunatic said. "After all, you've been so diligent in your task - how rude it would be to simply slip past you."

"So you've known I was here..." But he hadn't attacked. It sounded as if that was about to change, however, and Keith quickly stood, looking around. There was a car in the driveway, but not his mother's, he noticed; her husband had returned, and she hadn't.

"I had hoped you would abandon your plan of salvation for the guilty. Of course, I should have known better. You are a hero - you would never give up when a life was at stake."

If Lunatic was nearby, there was no evidence. Keith took to the sky for a higher vantage point.

"So, then..." Lunatic said slowly, "you've figured it out."

Keith caught himself about to say that yes, he had, and to ask why, then thought better of it. "Figured what out?"

"The objective of my current crusade."

"...Perhaps I have." The basic idea, yes... the reasoning behind it, no.

"Perhaps?" For a second, Lunatic's voice sounded amused - and Keith had a strange sense of deja vu. He couldn't put his finger on why Lunatic suddenly seemed so familiar. "You determined my final target. You must know by now what I've been doing."

"...Yes." Keith was reluctant to admit it, and now that he had the chance to speak with Lunatic, reluctant to ask any of the questions he wanted to ask - especially over the HeroTV communications channels. Something occurred to him suddenly, though. "Your _final_ target?"

"Unless there are more of which I am unaware, this particular crusade will be complete when one more sinner has been appropriately punished," replied the hollow voice. "This shall occur very shortly."

It was in fact just before the time when Keith had estimated that his mother would be leaving work. His head turned in the direction of the supermarket by reflex - he needed to be there. But then, he might be able to avoid a confrontation that would be dangerous to civilians. If he could manage to stall him long enough... He needed to get Lunatic off the communications channel first, he realized. "Lunatic," he began, his voice as firm as he could manage with his heart beating in his throat. "I _do_ know what you're doing, and... who you're doing it for."

"Do you...?"

"I do. I want to... I want to talk about it," Keith said. "Will you... will you just talk to me? For the sake of this person who is..." As much as it unnerved him to admit it. "...somehow so important to you... will you speak with me?"

There was a long pause. Had he actually managed to surprise Lunatic, Keith wondered? And if so, was it a good kind of surprised or a bad kind of surprised?

"If that is what you want," Lunatic said finally, "then we can speak."

"Where are you?" Keith asked.

"I am nearby." The answer was not unexpected, but still gave Keith chills. The thought that Lunatic could have been so close, watching him, even watching him sleep... "I will come to you, if you remain where you are."

There was another beep, signaling the end of the transmission. Keith suddenly felt very isolated, hovering over the neighborhood - very much alone, without that voice speaking to him. With its owner out there somewhere, possibly already watching him, now approaching...

Which meant he didn't have time to dwell on it. "Sky High to headquarters," he said urgently, beginning another transmission.

"Sky High!" came a surprised reply. "We weren't expecting to hear from you."

"There's no time to explain - Lunatic's about to attack again," Keith told the dispatcher. "Send out the heroes. His target's name is Karla Tracy. He may be attacking at the SternMart where she works, the one in East Bronze, or he may be planning to attack at her home in the 6800 block of Perth Avenue. I'm at the latter location now in an attempt to intercept him."

"We hear you - we'll get heroes to both locations as fast as we can. Where is Lunatic now?"

"I... I'm not sure." If Lunatic was as close as it had seemed, he hadn't yet shown himself. "I believe him to be on his way here. Once I see him, I'll stop him, or at least stall him until the others arrive."

"Keep us posted." 

"Of course." In the background, Keith could hear someone else shouting, passing along the orders. He ended the transmission, knowing perfectly well that once he spotted Lunatic, he would not be calling back. This might be his only chance to speak with Lunatic, and he might not have long, if the other heroes arrived quickly. And the fact that he actually felt slightly guilty, calling on the heroes to assist in possibly capturing Lunatic after all his killings... Keith shook his head. He couldn't examine it too closely; he could only do his job.

And this _was_ his job. Even as he questioned why he was voluntarily doing this, putting himself in a precarious situation with a NEXT who was known to be willing to kill, in part to protect a woman he'd resented for years and years... That was why. He was Sky High. Sky High was a hero. He was certainly not Keith Palmer any longer, and the woman who was being targeted was just a woman. That was all. There was no reason for any further self-doubt.

It was convenient that those answers, at least, came quickly; a short distance to the east, Keith spotted a flare of blue flame. He didn't move, however - Lunatic had said that he would come to him if he stayed where he was. Where he was at the moment was potentially dangerous, being directly above his mother's home, but she wasn't home. And Lunatic had never killed anyone he hadn't deemed guilty.

Sure enough, the blue flame moved, and Keith watched it approach, resolving into the shape of a man, with the enhanced vision of his hero suit. As Lunatic drew nearer, Keith lowered himself towards the rooftops again - a different rooftop, so as not to make it obvious if Lunatic hadn't already guessed - and touched down. A few moments later, Lunatic did so as well.

Neither of them seemed ready to speak; the two of them just stood there, several yards apart, regarding each other with any expression hidden behind the helms they wore. Lunatic's hands were hidden as well, beneath his cape, and Keith couldn't tell if he had his weapon readied. Not that it mattered, when Lunatic didn't _need_ a weapon to set something on fire, but Keith had no idea what his state of mind was.

When he nearly flinched simply at Lunatic tilting his head curiously, Keith decided to be the one to break their silence. "...Do you know who I am?" he began, gesturing towards his helmet. "Beyond Sky High, that is - the person inside the hero suit?"

"Of course," Lunatic replied.

That wasn't a surprise. It would have been much too big a coincidence otherwise. "Then... may I ask why you're doing this? And why me?"

"Why I'm doing this?" Lunatic's head tilted again. "That should be obvious. I have always punished those who require punishment beyond what the weak laws of this land have determined for them. As for why _you_..."

Lunatic's head straightened, giving Keith the impression that the mask was looking directly at him. "...Your story intrigues me. A child forced to endure such horror and misery as yourself - and yet as a man you remain pure, unspoiled. Childishly innocent in your morality, though your childhood was anything but. How did you escape bitterness and anger...? How can you still have faith in black and white, right and wrong, justice and injustice...?" Lunatic's hands - empty - emerged from beneath the cape, outstretched in a dramatic shrug. "How is it that your past does not taint you?"

Keith paused. For some reason, he really _did_ want to answer, despite being uncertain if it was wise to speak openly to Lunatic. "...Maybe from the outside it appears that way," he acknowledged. "My past is my past, it will always be with me. But again, it is my _past_ ," he pointed out. "It may taint, but it does not corrupt. I do not deny it, but neither do I remain there. Now that I'm an adult, I want to make a difference. I want today's children to know a brighter world than the one I grew up in."

Lunatic's arms lowered, disappearing again. "So simple... and so naive. I'm not certain whether I pity you or I envy you."

"I would prefer envy." Especially if it led Lunatic to accept his own view of justice. Unlikely as it was, he couldn't help but try - and Keith could hardly believe what he was suggesting. "Though you know who I am, I don't know who you are. If you would simply... disappear... stop taking lives... no one would ever catch you. You could work for a brighter future, instead of fighting against the past - you could just _stop being_ Lunatic. Maybe someday, when Lunatic is nearly forgotten, you could even be a hero, and _save_ lives."

Lunatic was shaking his head slowly. "Your words are a symptom of precisely the kind of weak justice I cannot stand for. If you believe that what I do is wrong, then you must require penance for my wrongdoing."

"Dealing out punishment isn't why I became a hero," Keith said. "I became a hero so that I could prevent people from being hurt. I can't do anything to save those you've already killed, no more than I can save my brother," he admitted. "But even if you escape and never see a day in court, then so be it, so long as you don't cause any more deaths."

"Evil will always exist," Lunatic stated, "if it is accepted, coddled - with no true punishment for those who have done evil, others are encouraged to follow in their path. And yet..." Again, he shook his head. "It seems our views are too different - and yours are a treasure I would not dare of damaging. You possess, without a doubt, the purest of souls, and to tarnish that soul would be an act of evil in itself. That is why I've taken this task upon myself - because you are too kind to do it yourself."

"I never asked for you to do this." Keith felt a chill suddenly, as Lunatic's head turned, straight towards his mother's building nearby. He _did_ know where she lived, and probably had for a while. "I don't _want_ you to do this."

"Yet it is the right thing to do."

Lunatic's arms shifted beneath the cape, and Keith froze. He didn't want to ruin this fragile bond he was forging with Lunatic, but... "You know I can't allow you to do it."

"And you should know by now that I cannot allow you to stop me."

Sure enough, Lunatic had been reaching for the bowgun, and it snapped into firing position as he raised it. "Lunatic, don't do this," Keith told him. "If you're doing it for me, then I'm telling you - don't do this."

"As much as I admire your willingness to suffer the wrongs done to you by this sinful world," Lunatic said, placing a bolt into the channel, "I do not share it."

Before Lunatic could get any further, Keith launched himself into the air, shooting over to hover in the air between himself and the townhouse. "You'd be committing a wrong yourself," he said, arms outstretched - he couldn't block an entire building, but he could put himself in the way as much as possible.

"By your standards. By my standards, I am _righting_ a wrong." Lunatic glanced skyward suddenly, then back at Keith, setting his feet as he aimed. "Asking you to stand aside would do no good, I presume."

"Lunatic, she's not even home," Keith told him. Maybe it wasn't a good idea - maybe it was only inviting Lunatic to come back later - but it was the truth. A glance up over his shoulder showed him what Lunatic had seen; the HeroTV blimp was moving into position. The other heroes must be nearly to the scene. "She's not at home, and her husband is. Her husband hasn't done anything. Just leave. I won't follow - and if you never threaten anyone again, you'll never _be_ threatened."

"The vile deeds of humanity threaten me on a near daily basis." The bolt in the bow caught fire, engulfed in blue and green flame. "What soul can know the pain individuals inflict upon one another, and be unaffected?"

Keith's heart was nearly pounding out of his hero suit. "Paul Tracy isn't inflicting pain on anyone."

"If it is as you say - then I trust you, Sky High, to do the right thing. It is what you always have done, and doubtless always will do."

The tip of Lunatic's bowgun rose higher, and Keith darted into its path - only to be taken by surprise when it then lowered, and Lunatic fired past him.

His aim was, as usual, perfect; before Keith had the chance to blow it off course, the flaming bolt shot through a window, and the unnaturally hot fire ignited something inside immediately, causing a brighter flare. It _was_ as Keith had said, there _was_ an innocent man inside, and so it was as Lunatic had said - he had no choice but to do what a hero would do. Lunatic had already leapt away in anticipation of the arrival of the other heroes, and even if he hadn't, Keith would have had to turn the other direction, to head into the burning building.

The fire was spreading rapidly, but Keith's suit protected him from the worst of it as he followed the arrow's path through the broken window, climbing inside once he'd reached it and examining the room. No one there, but the flames had already spread down the hall he found upon opening the door. He found Mr. Tracy in the kitchen, terrified, back against the counter as he tried to stay clear of the flames. The man's face lit up in relief at the sight of Sky High diving through the fire to reach him. "Is there anyone else here?" Keith shouted, over the growing roar.

Mr. Tracy shook his head. "My wife's at work, not home yet," he shouted back as Keith reached his side. "What is this? What happened!?"

"A mistake," Keith muttered, mostly to himself, and in disbelief. "Someone made a mistake." A very bad mistake... and Lunatic was usually so precise.

Keith was readying to blow back the fire with a strong gust of wind for a moment, to clear a path for the man he was rescuing, lacking any sort of protective gear, when suddenly there was a hissing sound - Blue Rose had arrived, and though her ice couldn't completely quench Lunatic's flames, she could suppress them a little bit. It was much easier to part the flames for a moment after she'd gotten to them, and Origami Cyclone had sliced his way through the door to get in, making it quicker for them to get out.

After Mr. Tracy was clear of the building, and the other heroes had confirmed that there was no one else in need of rescuing - no pets, and the other half of the building was vacant - Keith was standing by with Blue Rose and Origami Cyclone, watching the fire department's trucks do what they were there to do, and wondering what the meaning of this was. Lunatic's apparent obsession with him... was it causing Lunatic to become more erratic? It didn't seem in line with Lunatic's motives at all to put an innocent man's life at risk.

He got his answer when a message came in through the heroes' headgear. "Change of plans, heroes," came Agnes's voice. "Everyone head to the intersection at 49th and Mason, Lunatic's shown himself."

"That's just a few blocks from here," Blue Rose observed, heading for her cycle - but Keith had already realized what had happened. He knew exactly where that intersection was in relation to where they were now.

There was no point, he suspected, but he had to confirm. "Ms. Joubert, this is Sky High. Have there been any fatalities?"

"A car is on fire, but we don't know anything for sure. It's not far - you three should be able to get there quickly and find out more."

Keith was fairly certain that he now had put the pieces together, and he couldn't believe he'd fallen for it. The story the heroes heard from witnesses when they arrived at the scene, speaking with people who had only been passing motorists or pedestrians when Lunatic appeared, backed up his suspicions perfectly; the car that was now engulfed in blue flame had been stopped at a stoplight, when all of a sudden Lunatic had leapt out of nowhere, approaching the car, and fired a single flaming shot through the open side window at the driver. With the car already burnt severely, as well as the body inside, Keith couldn't tell for certain if it was his mother's car or his mother inside it - but it was the only explanation that made sense.

Only shortly after their arrival, another car pulled up nearby and parked. Keith definitely recognized that one at once, and he felt his heart thump painfully as he saw Yuri step out, looking around with a concerned expression and then heading straight for Keith when he caught sight of him. Not that he wasn't relieved to see Yuri, but Keith was... so far having fairly good luck keeping his personal feelings buried while he did his job. Seeing Yuri, who knew the significance of everything that had happened and was worried about him, threatened that everything he was trying to keep below the surface might spill over.

"Sky High," Yuri called, beckoning to him as he came nearer. "Can I speak with you for a moment?" Blue Rose and Origami Cyclone were still speaking with witnesses - Keith having heard all he needed to hear - so he nodded and stepped away.

"Keith, are you all right?" Yuri asked quietly, once they were a short distance from the others.

Keith nodded. ...Now that he was not required to be a hero, now that he was with someone with whom he could be just Keith... he really did seem to be all right. Better than he might have expected. He wasn't on the verge of breaking down, he didn't feel a sense of failure, he wasn't furious... "I'm all right."

"Are you sure?"

The fact that he seemed to be all right did not reassure him in the least. In fact, it scared him. "...No," he acknowledged. "But I... I need to do my job. They want a statement from me when the HeroTV truck arrives, because I was first on the initial scene. I can do that."

Yuri reached up, resting his hands on the shoulders of Sky High's armor, and simply gave him a serious, understanding nod before removing them. "I'll be here."

"Thank you," Keith murmured. He was sure that he would need that shortly.

But the truck had just pulled up, and there were the camera crews, and soon the microphone was being pushed in his face. Having been in similar situations many times, he'd known what to expect, and had already mentally half-prepared what he would say.

"I must regretfully acknowledge that tonight Lunatic has claimed another victim," he began. "It seems that his first attack earlier was no more than a decoy, designed to draw the heroes' attention away from his true intent, which remains uncertain. However, in the course of his diversion, he placed the life of an innocent citizen in danger. This citizen was rescued swiftly and easily - but we shall not stand for further recklessness. As heroes, we are dedicated to protecting the people of Sternbild from such careless acts of violence. I promise you, citizens - we shall remain vigilant in order to prevent further endangerment. And if Lunatic should strike in such a way again, we shall endeavor to rescue you with all diligence. Thank you. And again, thank you."

As soon as the cameras had turned off, Blue Rose turned to him, looking vaguely worried. "So he's setting things on fire just as a diversion now?"

"This time," Keith told her. "I don't think he'll be doing it again."

"You don't?"

Keith turned away, brushed off the offers from the staff of a ride back to headquarters, and headed for Yuri, who was waiting for him as promised. He'd stepped away from his car, going across the street to examine the one that was burning. The flickering light revealed that he was regarding it with a slight frown, but he looked up at Keith's approach. Keith eyed the burning car momentarily as well, before turning to Yuri. "Can you take me home?" he asked.

"Of course," Yuri assured him. "Now?"

"Now," Keith agreed. "There's nothing more I need to do here." Yuri just gave him a brief nod, and started for his own car again, Keith following.

"...How are you doing?" Yuri asked quietly, as he unlocked his car for both of them.

"I don't know," Keith said honestly, getting in the other side - and immediately leaning forward, sinking his head into his hands.

Yuri said nothing, but there was a hesitation before the car started. Keith kept his head down, until he felt the car pull away.

He finally took his helmet off once they were a few blocks away. "...It must have been her in that car," he murmured, absently looking out at the lights of the city streets as they passed by. "They won't confirm it right away, but it must have been her."

"It could be no one else," Yuri said. "Although very little remained of the car or the victim to provide identification, we could still make out the plates. That was your mother's car." Though driving, he glanced over to Keith. "However, you shouldn't feel as if you've failed. You did rescue an innocent man tonight - and no one can be in two places at once."

"Just as he planned it." Keith rested his chin in one hand, just watching the lights go by. He'd been trapped. But he couldn't have done anything other than go for the obvious bait, either. Maybe that was why he _didn't_ feel as if he'd failed. But it didn't account for why he didn't feel anything at all after a woman had died on his watch. Anything other than... numb. "He knows who I am. More than that - he knows _me_. He knows what I'll do..."

"Keith, don't think too much of it," Yuri suggested. "As a hero, your decisions are flawless. Even a casual viewer of HeroTV would know that when an innocent civilian is in danger, Sky High would immediately go to his rescue. There was no other choice for you to make."

"I know..." But it seemed deeper than that. Lunatic acted like he knew Keith well, or at least believed he did. And he _did_ somehow know his true identity.

Keith looked over at Yuri suddenly, so suddenly that Yuri glanced back, concerned. "Hmm?"

"...Nothing." If Lunatic also knew about his relationship with Yuri, then Yuri could be in danger... but on the other hand, if Keith went with his initial instinct at the thought and put distance between them, Lunatic might think that Yuri had done something to hurt him, and _then_ Yuri would be in danger. There was no reason to think that Yuri was in danger at the moment, especially since...

That reminded Keith of something Lunatic had said. "Lunatic said she was the last victim. That after one more had been punished to his satisfaction, this 'crusade' of his would be over. Because everyone who has hurt me is dead..."

"While I know that isn't the outcome you would have preferred," Yuri said, turning the wheel as they rounded a corner, "at least that would suggest that this ordeal is over."

"How could it be over?" Keith murmured. "He's still out there... He's still fixated on me."

"But if he's punished everyone who he felt deserved punishment, what more could he do?"

"I don't know," said Keith. "That's exactly the problem. I don't know what he has planned. I don't know what he wants, what he was trying to accomplish. He said he was doing this for me, because I wouldn't. But why?"

"You talked to him?" Yuri inquired.

Keith nodded. "A little bit... before HeroTV arrived, and he had to act."

"Hmm." Yuri fell silent, thinking. "Did he say anything meaningful?"

"Everything he said was meaningful in some way," Keith said. "I just don't know if... maybe it was just that he didn't tell me what I wanted to know... or maybe it wasn't what I wanted to hear."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what I expected, or what I wanted," Keith admitted. "Most of what he said wasn't surprising. He does know who I am, and he's been punishing people who hurt me. His idea of justice is different than mine - but for some reason, he admires my morality, even if he doesn't agree with it."

"Mm-hmm." They were almost there; Yuri turned onto Keith's street. "And what about you? What did you say?"

"I... didn't know what to say." And Keith wasn't sure Yuri would have agreed with what he _had_ said - the suggestion that Lunatic could just disappear. He was, after all, a judge, and had more experience with justice and ensuring suitable punishment for crimes than with preventing them in the first place. "...I told him he didn't have to do this, and especially that he didn't have to do it for me. I told him it didn't have to be this way. But I think it does." Keith rested his head in his hands again. "Yuri... even if he's through with... this thing that he thinks he's doing for my sake, Lunatic is still out there. What can I do if he appears again, while we're chasing a completely unrelated criminal?"

"You can deal with him the same way you dealt with him previously - as a dangerous, volatile individual who has no connection to you," Yuri replied. "You didn't try to draw his attention. You're not responsible for anything at all when it comes to Lunatic."

"...I know." But they'd spoken, and about some very personal things. For some reason, Lunatic had respect for him. Keith couldn't just pretend that he still believed Lunatic to be nothing more than a typical killer. There was a moral code behind that mask, a belief in justice, albeit a different kind. Despite what Lunatic had said, his actions showed a trust in the heroes' kind of justice as well, at least when Keith was responsible for carrying it out. He couldn't just... _not try_ to reason further with him.

Keith remained quiet as Yuri pulled up to his building, parking at the side but not yet turning the car off. "Do you want me to stay?" Yuri asked.

"Yes," Keith said immediately. He might have still been sorting through what he was thinking and feeling about the night's events and what they meant, but he didn't need to think about what Yuri meant to him. "Thank you..."

"It's no trouble," Yuri said, turning off the ignition. "I suspected that whatever the resolution of this particular mission, you might welcome some company once it was all over."

That sounded reasonable. Keith picked up the helmet he'd removed earlier, rubbing his hand through his hair absently. He was probably a mess. "...Do you think it was ever possible for this to end well?" he asked, as they got out of the car. "Was there any chance at all?"

Yuri didn't answer right away, just waited for Keith to come around the side of the car, and rested his hand on Keith's back as they started inside. "I don't know. I don't even know what you would count as 'ending well'. As far as I'm concerned - you're here. You seem to be taking it all in stride, for the most part, and you're allowing me to be with you. That's enough for me to consider it a good ending."

"I don't even know if it's an ending yet," Keith murmured. "...I'm so confused."

"Shh." Yuri's arm rested across his shoulders in a light hug as he escorted Keith down the hallway. "You don't need to worry about anything more tonight - just rest. If you need anything at all, I'll take care of it."

Yuri, at least, was steady. Keith felt anything but. It wasn't even something he could put his finger on, exactly; no one particular thing was troubling him. In fact, he didn't feel particularly troubled - and that, he thought, was what was really troubling.

It was fortunate, at least, that John seemed to have gotten over his grudge against Yuri for the time being. When Keith unlocked the door, John was there waiting, and if he was looking specifically at Keith and wagging his tail, it was much better than having him growl. In fact, after Keith had indulged him with a little bit of petting, kneeling there by the door, John shoved his head under Yuri's hand hopefully as well.

Being at home with John and Yuri made Keith feel a little more normal, which caused him to realize just how exhausted he was. "I should go to bed soon," he said, getting to his feet again. "But first, a shower. ...If you'd like, you can just make yourself comfortable."

Yuri nodded, starting for the bedroom, and Keith felt slightly guilty. "I'm sorry... asking you to stay, when I'm not very good company."

"Your company is good enough for me," Yuri assured him. "Besides, if I wasn't here with you, I would be alone."

Or if not alone, at home with his mother. Keith supposed he could accept that Yuri really didn't mind, then.

Since his thoughts had already turned to someone's mother, perhaps it was no surprise that Keith's thoughts turned to his own mother as he stepped under the hot water. He had been so preoccupied and frustrated by Lunatic's actions that he hadn't realized right away that setting the townhouse on fire was no more than a diversionary tactic - he hadn't been thinking of her at all then. And then, when the reports had come in that a car was on fire between her workplace and her home... he'd guessed. He hadn't known, he'd only guessed. There was no way to know for sure, so it wasn't so strange to think that he wouldn't be upset. Even once they'd arrived at the scene, he still hadn't known. In fact, he _still_ didn't know for sure - Yuri had said the plates on the car matched, but... it still wasn't one hundred percent certain, was it? So it wasn't so strange that he wouldn't really feel anything.

But if he didn't believe that his mother was dead, shouldn't he have been keeping his watch? If Lunatic hadn't killed her, he would be back.

No... he had to admit that he knew it was her who had been killed. That was the only explanation. It would have been extremely difficult to make the case that anyone else could have been inside her car, and even if that were somehow true, Lunatic _didn't_ kill people who he hadn't picked out as targets. That was why Keith had been so confused when he'd fired towards the townhouse, even after being told that she wasn't inside. That had been specifically to distract Keith - and how confused were his feelings about that, the fact that Lunatic would do such a thing to distract him, and that he trusted Keith to make it right? How could he feel both touched by Lunatic's faith in him, and disgusted by Lunatic's tactics? And Keith was sure that Lunatic _had_ only done it because Lunatic ultimately had faith in his ability to save Paul Tracy. Setting a car on fire, with someone unconnected inside, was not something Lunatic would have done if he knew no one was there to save that person. The person inside that car had to have been Lunatic's target. And that was Keith's mother.

And Keith had no idea how he felt about that.

It didn't seem right that he shouldn't feel anything at all. He tried summoning up some kind of memory - something that might help him figure out how he felt. Mostly what he remembered from his life with his mother wasn't life with his mother at all, but a series of empty days, coming home to an empty, filthy apartment, waking up to find it empty again. Irritation and sharp, brief replies when she actually was home and he tried to ask her questions. 

And this contrasted with what he'd seen while he was keeping watch, these last... how many days? She looked content. He'd seen her smile, even working at a less-than-optimal job - he'd heard her laugh. How was the life she was living there happier than when he lived with her...? How had she been happier now, after having done what she had done, to his little brother...?

Keith was starting to feel something after all, but all he felt was anger and frustration. And when he tried to tell himself that that wasn't what he should be feeling - not when the woman had just been killed...

No. Keith brushed the hot, wet washcloth over his face, wishing he could wipe it all out of his head. Maybe it was best that he didn't feel anything, if the alternative was this.

Yuri was lounging on the bed in borrowed sleepwear, hair let down, waiting for Keith when he came back to his room. The discomfort must have been visible on Keith's face, because immediately a look of sympathy crossed Yuri's. "A shower is an unfortunately convenient place to do too much thinking," he murmured, scooting over just a little to allow Keith more room to sit. 

Keith nodded, and since he couldn't think of anything to say about it, just lay down next to Yuri, curling up and settling with his head in Yuri's lap. Yuri made a soft, concerned sound, stroking his fingers through Keith's wet hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know..." He was terrified of what he'd uncovered, and the thought of admitting to it left him even more terrified... but Yuri, of all people, might understand. And being understood was... He curled tighter into himself. "I don't know what I'm thinking."

"Starting to sink in...?" Yuri's fingers sifted through his hair, finding the nape of his neck and brushing along his shoulder. "It's no surprise that you'd have mixed feelings, after all that's happened recently."

"No," Keith murmured. "No..." Maybe it wasn't. But that wasn't it, either. "It's... Something Lunatic said to me. I don't know if..." ...If he was right, or wrong.

"Don't worry about anything that madman has said to you," Yuri told him. "What's done is done, and if he's executed everyone he was intending to execute, he won't be dragging you into his vendettas anymore."

"But it wasn't him who dragged me into his vendetta," Keith said, his fingers clenching in the sheets. "It was me who dragged him into my own."

"You didn't ask him to punish any of those people."

"But he wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for me." Keith pressed a hand over his eyes. "Yuri, he told me why he did it."

Yuri was quiet for a moment. "...Did he...?"

"He said he... admired how... _good_ I was, after the childhood I lived through. He considers me pure, and... unspoiled... Because I can still believe in the heroes' type of justice. Even for the people who did such terrible things to me."

"It _is_ an admirable thing," Yuri murmured. "I suppose it would be particularly impressive to someone like Lunatic, who clearly has lost his ability to have such faith in the system as you still manage. _I_ admire the same in you, the goodness of your heart, the steadfast hold to your beliefs."

"Yuri..." Keith wasn't sure he could say it anymore. But not to say it would seem a lie, after hearing Yuri say something like that. "What he said was true. He said he was punishing them because I wouldn't. I lived through a childhood of neglect and abuse and guilt, seeing people do terrible things to one another and to me and to my little brother. I still believed that every life was worth protecting - things can only change and grow if life goes on," he said in a rush. "Death doesn't change anything for those who were wronged. There's no closure, no sense of justice. Just another emptiness. Just... more nothing."

Yuri stroked his neck and his shoulder comfortingly; Keith realized that he was shaking from the tension. "It's all right," Yuri said again. "At least it seems as though you're not blaming yourself. And if these deaths have left you with nothing, in place of resentment and frustration... isn't that at least some small comfort?"

Keith shook his head. "Not at all... That's not the point."

"Hmmm...?"

"After all I endured," Keith managed to begin, "I held to my beliefs. Even the worst of people deserved a chance to turn from their ways, and executing them was not the answer. But now, tonight... and even before, when Lunatic killed my father," he admitted. "Maybe this desire to protect my mother from him came out of guilt, but-"

"The guilt is not yours," Yuri reminded him. "It was Lunatic-"

"Not guilt for his death," Keith interrupted. "Guilt for... not minding. When you asked me what I wanted to say to Lunatic, if I had the chance to speak to him, I didn't know. Because... I didn't want to admit..."

He couldn't go on from there - he was trembling harder. Yuri just held him, petting him, until he managed to calm enough to finish. "...I didn't want to admit... that I actually felt... grateful."

"...Keith."

Keith wasn't sure what he was hearing in Yuri's voice, and he was too afraid to look up. "And again, when I tried to figure out what I felt about my mother's death. I don't feel like I've failed... He found a way to kill her without me being at fault. I was saving someone who deserved saving, while he killed someone who-" Keith's voice choked off. He couldn't say it. He'd almost said it without thinking.

"It's all right," Yuri repeated, soft and firm. "These are people who did hurt you, and very badly. Feeling relieved that they've received some manner of punishment for their crimes, even if it's not the kind of punishment you would have chosen, is perfectly natural."

"Not for me," Keith mumbled. "It's not natural for me. Yuri, what he admired about me," he said, finally looking up to meet Yuri's eyes, "it isn't true any more. My childhood couldn't break my faith in myself, the beliefs that led me to become a hero... but _he_ did it. What he did made me realize, I can't hold my code of conduct above his. I don't believe in it myself - I don't disbelieve _his_ , when it comes to those who have hurt me. I'm a hypocrite. I no longer have the heart of a hero, I can't trust my own judgment - and it's because of him."

In Yuri's eyes, Keith could see echoes of the same dismay he felt. "Keith... What you feel isn't unusual," Yuri told him again. "It's not wrong. It certainly doesn't mean you can't be a hero, and continue the good work you do for the people of Sternbild. You make this city a better place - you help people. You knew exactly what you needed to do tonight, and you saved a life."

"Yes, I know how to be a hero," Keith murmured. "Anyone can _act like_ a hero... but I thought I actually believed in those ideals, and deep down, I don't."

"I'm sure any of the other heroes would feel the same if they were in your situation," Yuri assured him, again stroking his hair. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Keith insisted. "I thought I knew who I was... and I was wrong. And _Lunatic_ was wrong. Which means this whole crusade of his, on my behalf, was based on a lie. It was all a mistake." Keith couldn't deal with the sudden uncertainty in Yuri's eyes, and covered his own, lowering his head to Yuri's lap again. "He killed all those people because he thought I was something better than what I am... And do you know the worst part?" When Yuri didn't immediately answer, he just went on. "I don't know if I mind. ...I don't know if I mind..."

Yuri still had nothing to say, and tears were stinging Keith's eyes. He took a deep breath, wiping them away. "...None of those people who were killed by Lunatic made me lose faith in myself. My abilities and my worth, yes. But not my integrity. He..." He couldn't believe it, but it was true. "...I think he hurt me as much as any of them. He turned up all the terrible things in my past, bringing back the memories... and then he made me see something in myself I didn't want to see."

Yuri's hand had stilled on his head, as Keith trembled with the tears he was trying not to cry. He just lay there, curled into himself, wondering if Yuri was so quiet because he was trying to hide the same disgust Keith felt. He didn't want to understand Lunatic, or approve of anything Lunatic did... but he _did_ understand.

Keith's fear grew when Yuri shifted, the touch of his hand disappearing. "I'm sorry," Yuri murmured, and when his leg slid from beneath Keith's head, Keith realized he was moving to get out of bed. "I'm so sorry."

"Yuri." Keith's hand reached over and found his wrist. Maybe it was selfish, but... "Please stay with me. I know I'm not as good a man as you thought... but please, if you can stand to stay with someone like me... please stay. Hold onto me," he murmured. "Please don't let go..."

"Someone like you..." Yuri's voice was very quiet, very soft. "Keith, there's nothing wrong with you at all. Nothing at all." His other hand came to cover Keith's on his wrist, and his voice was little more than a breath. "Of course I'll stay."

"I feel like I'm disappearing," Keith mumbled. "Please hold on..."

"I will," Yuri told him, shifting again to lie down at Keith's side, wrapping his arms tight around him. "I'll hold on. You're not disappearing... You're right here. You're going to stay right here."

Grateful as Keith was, he couldn't say a thing through the lump in his throat. He just closed his eyes, resting his head against Yuri's chest.

"...You're still the best man I've ever known," Yuri murmured, his fingers lightly caressing Keith's back and shoulders. "These feelings you've uncovered don't change that. The fact that you're so upset about them only _proves_ that you have the purest soul of anyone I've known. You can't tolerate the slightest hint of corruption in your own heart... You're only human, Keith, but you're as close to being the perfect hero as anyone could ever hope to be. ...And to think that Lunatic could make you doubt that..." His voice was soft, somehow almost dangerous. "...I may despise him more than anyone he killed during this ordeal."

"That's the strangest part," Keith mumbled against Yuri's arm. "I can't. I can't hate him. I understand. He's wrong about me... he hurt me... but I understand why he did it. Isn't it... sick... to _not_ be angry at someone who _killed_ for me? To actually be... just a little bit... touched?"

"You can't hate him because you're too good a soul to hate," Yuri told him, stroking his fingers through Keith's hair again. "And just as well. At this moment, I think I may hate him enough for both of us..."

Keith shook his head slightly. "Don't, Yuri... Hate doesn't do anyone any good."

"Perhaps it doesn't." Yuri sighed faintly, leaning his head back on the pillow. "...But I'm not the man you are. I was never the hero type."

"You have your own ways of fighting for justice."

Yuri didn't say anything more, and Keith just nuzzled against him. "...Thank you," he said after a while. "I feel a little bit... stronger now."

Yuri still didn't say anything, but Keith supposed it was all right. He, at least, was exhausted. Yuri had shared many of his concerns in the last several weeks, and had been worried about him, and... Keith didn't even know what else Yuri might have been dealing with at work, since he'd been so focused on his mission. Yuri might have been just as tired as he was. Now that his mission was no more, they needed to catch up. 

But not just then. In the morning, or over lunch or dinner, but not then, when they were both so drained. Keith yawned, and snuggled a little closer. Yuri was so still, Keith thought he may have fallen asleep already.


	14. Chapter 14

Keith was aware, dimly, when Yuri got out of bed. It would have been hard not to be, when his head was resting on Yuri's chest, when their arms were around each other. He felt Yuri pull away, lifted his head briefly and then dropped it again. He was still half-conscious, still exhausted, and if Yuri wanted to get up, that was okay. Maybe he needed to use the bathroom, or was hungry, or... Keith fell asleep again before he'd even thought of any other reasons Yuri might have gotten up.

He was still a little surprised when he woke up alone, having assumed Yuri was coming back. Then again, looking at the clock, he shouldn't have been so surprised. Unlike a hero, a judge often had to work specific hours, generally starting before noon. Keith still felt somewhat lonely at the realization, in addition to still being emotionally and physically drained, but he understood.

He felt a little less lonely when he left the bedroom, only to find John waiting for him, tongue hanging out in a cheerful canine grin at the sight of him. Keith had to smile back, petting John's head as he headed to the kitchen for a drink - and found a note on the refrigerator.

Keith,  
Rest today. Sleep in. Don't go to the office. Order in for lunch.  
If you must leave the apartment at all, take John for a walk - he's missed you.  
You've earned a break.  
\- Yuri

Keith smiled a little wider. He didn't like being away from his job... but maybe Yuri was right. The smile faded somewhat as he remembered the previous night, the realizations he'd come to and what he'd said. Maybe it was better that he didn't try to be a hero again just yet.

But he didn't want to sit around the house and think about it all, either. He took a long drink of water... and decided to take a different piece of Yuri's advice, for starters. He could take John for a walk.

The air and the exercise went a long way towards clearing his head, and jogging along with John, who was so obviously glad to have his best friend and workout partner back, lifted his spirits a great deal. By the time they were back home, Keith actually did feel like eating something. And then, after a late breakfast that might as well have been lunch... he thought he might be up to turning on the television.

As expected, the news station was still intrigued by Lunatic's latest attacks, and giving the latest information on the case, including whose car had been set on fire. Keith felt a twinge of regret, seeing her picture, but no more. He felt more than a twinge when it was proven that the media had made the connection between the two fires, and had managed to try to ask her husband about it. He looked tired, unhappy, as he turned away, holding his hand up before the camera and just repeatedly stating that he had no comment. No comment at all. At least, Keith thought, he could still feel sympathy for Paul Tracy - he'd just had his home and many of his possessions destroyed, he was grieving his wife, and people were trying to get him to talk about why she may have been killed.

Not that the media hadn't dug that up as well, and soon Keith was staring again at the old, familiar picture. His little brother's sad eyes, his cautious smile beside Keith's own bright one. As soon as it disappeared, he changed the channel to cartoons, and leaned over to rest his head on John, who was flopped down beside him on the couch. After only a few minutes of the cartoons, Keith changed it to a movie channel instead; the cartoons airing were old, from his childhood, and he didn't want to think about his childhood any more. Or really, anything else.

He must have fallen asleep again, because the next thing he knew, the apartment was lit only by the flicker of the television, the last rays of sun, and a street lamp outside the window. Meanwhile, his cell phone was ringing from inside the bathroom, where he'd left it with the hero suit when he'd stripped it off the night before. He stood, taking the time to stretch and yawn, and went to fish it out - only to find that he'd taken too long, and it was going to a message. He couldn't pick it up while the caller was recording, but he could guess who was calling without even looking. As soon as the message was finished, he dialed Yuri's home number - he was probably home by now, given the time.

Yuri answered immediately - but very strangely. "I'm sorry, Keith," he murmured.

"...What?" Keith didn't understand.

"I'm very sorry," Yuri repeated. His voice sounded tired, resigned. "I will not ask your forgiveness, but please know that I love you very much."

"Forgive..." Keith was baffled. "Forgiveness for what?"

A brief pause. Then, only a dial tone. Something was definitely wrong, and Keith called back at once. The phone simply rang. 

Definitely very wrong. Yuri must have explained in the message, he realized, and went to play it back - only to see that the number that had called him moments earlier was an unfamiliar one. The voice on the recording, however, was by this time quite familiar.

"Hello, Sky High. I do hope you're resting, after the strain that you've been under."

Keith froze, his breath catching.

"I suppose you're wondering why I, of all people, might be calling," the eerie, hollow voice continued. "Not to worry - I'm not stalking you. Neither am I taunting you. I wish only to apologize for my mistake, and to assure you that it is being corrected. ...It seems that my crusade on your behalf is not quite complete after all, for there is one more who has hurt you, perhaps more deeply than any other. Love is a double-edged sword, isn't it? Those who love you never intend to harm you... but then, you allow them within your walls, permit them to see the softest, most vulnerable places you keep hidden away."

...Yuri. Keith nearly dropped the phone, turning with the intention of leaving at once - then instead set the phone aside and began to pull on the hero suit as quickly as he could. He could get to Yuri faster than with a car, he could have more protection...

"But after this one final deed," the message continued, "I can promise you - it will be over. ...I know this too will cause you pain, but I have already sinned against you - and my honor demands no less than perfect vengeance. This is all I may do for you, after all."

Having just pulled the coat over his shoulders, Keith stopped short. Lunatic sounded different. Remorseful. And in a quiet moment... familiar.

"I know you will have questions."

And suddenly, Keith had answers.

Yuri had said, inexplicably, that he was sorry. 

_Lunatic_ was sorry.

"I would be pleased to answer them in person, but I dare not. I will not be persuaded to stay my hand. Not now. Not even for you."

Yuri knew who was inside the hero suits.

Yuri had access to all the legal records in Sternbild's database. He could find out about incidents years ago, and everyone who had been connected to them, and where they were now.

Yuri might not normally have had reason to use HeroTV's communications channels, but he had made use of them in the past.

"There is so much more I could say. And yet, nothing at all."

He could hear it now - behind the low, nearly drawling way Lunatic spoke, behind the hollowness caused by the mask, Keith could hear the similarity. The voice sounded much like Yuri had sounded the night before, when he'd said how much he hated Lunatic. The possibility - the very credible possibility, growing to an _almost certain_ possibility - left him physically reeling, stumbling back against the bathroom wall.

"...Except, I suppose, goodbye."

It was true. Though Keith wanted to say it couldn't be true, it _had_ to be true. It all added up. It made everything that had seemed so nonsensical make sense. It was really true.

...And Keith realized it didn't matter one bit. Not to him. Not right then.

The message had ended, and he reached for the phone with one hand, frantically fastening the coat with the other. Yuri still wasn't answering.

"Yuri, it's all right," he said urgently, when he wound up in voicemail. "Please listen, Yuri. It doesn't matter to me. Just..." He paused, lifting the jet pack to settle it in place and starting for the door, without bothering with the rest of the suit. "Just stay where you are. I'm coming, Yuri. ...I love you, no matter what. We'll sort this out." He hung up, and at the door, suddenly remembered and turned back for one more part, giving John an absent pat on the way out again. He'd need the helmet too.

He made use of it, in fact, before he was even airborne. "Sky High to headquarters," he called, as he climbed the stairs to the roof. "Lunatic is..."

"Yes, Sky High - Lunatic is what?"

He didn't know how to say it. "Send all available heroes to Judge Petrov's home," Keith told the dispatcher, his throat tight. He didn't want to do it, definitely not like this, but if he was interpreting the message from Lunatic correctly - or even if he was somehow completely mistaken - "There's a... a situation."

"Judge Petrov?! All right, we're on it. Everyone, get ready to move out! Sky High, what's the situation?"

"I don't know yet," Keith admitted, and took to the sky as soon as the rooftop door had opened to it. "But one way or another, he's in danger."

"Lunatic's threatened him?"

"...Kind of."

"Does he know?"

The severity of the situation was beginning to sink in, and Keith's heart ached. Already too much time had passed since the message had been left, and since he'd spoken to Yuri; he knew how quickly Lunatic's work was done. "I think he knows."

All he could do was try to reach Yuri as quickly as possible, and the hero suit helped. No need to stop at traffic lights, or worry about other traffic at all, or pedestrians. The sky was Keith's alone, and he sped off towards the suburban neighborhood as fast as the jet pack could carry him, his own frightened breathing sounding strangely loud inside his helmet.

He'd anticipated having to slow once he got close - although he knew the city well from above, he wasn't familiar with an aerial view of Yuri's neighborhood, and it would be especially difficult to interpret in the dark. The streets were quiet, not so brightly lit as Sternbild. Their stillness was marred only by the occasional car, or someone walking a dog. However, he quickly discovered that he had been left a clue as to which house was Yuri's - a single still figure, seated at the end of a driveway.

She was crying, staring in terror at the house as Keith landed beside her, next to the wheelchair that had been left at the front walk, though the lights inside were on. "Mrs. Petrov," he began urgently, resting a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"A hero..." she said, staring up through tear-stained, frightened eyes. "But you're not Mr. Legend... Where is Legend? He told me... he told me he would always come to save me, and he's not here..."

Mr. Legend...? The man had been retired for years, disappeared from the public eye. "I... I'm sure he's only been delayed." Keith didn't know what else to say. "Is Yuri..."

"Yuri..." Mrs. Petrov buried her head in her hands, sobbing. "He's crazy - he's going to kill us all, just like he killed his father! Oh Yuri, Yuri... Not again, Yuri, not again..."

But Keith had known there was no reason to ask her. He already knew. There was only one reason Yuri would have left his mother outside alone, and that meant that Keith needed to get inside. The doors were locked, adding to Keith's fear of what was likely happening inside. He had no time for this; he simply put his elbow through a window to force his way in.

Inside, everything seemed at first glance to be in order. Nothing out of place, no signs of any violence having taken place. "Yuri!" Keith called, removing his helmet as he began quickly checking each room in turn. "Yuri, please - please talk to me, Yuri! I understand, I want to help you..." Just as he always had. Discovering that Yuri was Lunatic, if that was indeed the truth, didn't matter one bit - Yuri was still Yuri. It was only that Yuri had been hiding more pain and anger than Keith had known - and if anything, it made Keith want to help him more. "Please, Yuri! We can work this out... I promise, we can work this out! Just talk to me!"

But there was no reply, and as Keith approached the rear of the house, he began to sense something that made his heart, hammering fast, skip a beat - he smelled smoke. "Yuri!" he shouted, growing desperate. "Where are you?!"

He suspected he'd found his answer near the garage: a heavy door, locked not only with a standard keyed doorknob but a deadbolt as well. The smell of smoke was stronger there, and when Keith tried the doorknob, he jerked his hand away at once; the metal was unbearably hot. "Yuri!" he shouted again, pounding on the door by instinct before it occurred to him to simply break it down.

A couple of good, hard jolts managed to loosen the locks and the hinges. Smoke seeped through the gaps between the door and the frame, but Keith refused to give up and threw his shoulder against it again, and again, until the hinges gave way and the door simply crashed down from where it had hung. The burst of smoke that replaced it would have been overwhelming to anyone who didn't possess Keith's ability to control the wind, to push back against the smothering cloud and make a safe path through, blowing fresh air down the stairs so that he could enter.

Even having done what he could to get enough fresh, breathable air into the basement, the smoke was so thick and continuous that it was difficult for Keith to see. Neither could he breathe without coughing by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, and he was forced to put the helmet back on. Its enhanced sensors helped him to make out his surroundings - and if he hadn't already been certain, his conclusions would have been proven correct by what he saw. Antique and medieval weapons were displayed on the walls, hanging next to irregular, angular patchwork cloaks, and a number of painted helms with masks. Their unblinking eyes stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them, their lips curled in a permanent sneer. There could be no questioning whose base of operations this was.

The fire seemed to have originated at one side of the room and was spreading now, the blue flames using a heavy desk as fuel to grow until they licked at the ceiling above and the nearest wall, lined with bookshelves that were already burning brightly. Computer monitors atop the desk were engulfed in flame, even the wires running from them to the outlets were burning. And of course, at the epicenter...

Keith didn't know how long it took for the other heroes to arrive. He wasn't aware when they _did_ arrive - he had fallen to his knees before the fire, his eyes refusing to focus, his ears refusing to hear. He could see, distantly, that the fire was being fought, that slowly they were making progress at putting it out, or perhaps it had only run out of material it could burn directly in front of him. Perhaps the latter was most likely; there was a creak, and a crash, and flaming timber fell all around him. 

Keith took no notice, until someone had hold of his arm, pulling him to his feet. His legs didn't want to cooperate, and neither did his mind - Yuri was in there, _Yuri was in there_ \- but his arm was around someone's shoulders, being held there, and he could either walk, or be dragged. Or, as it turned out, about half and half.

He was taken up the stairs, outside, settled on the lawn, before his head began to comprehend his surroundings again. It was Rock Bison who had gotten him out, Dragon Kid was standing by looking worried, and Fire Emblem was shooing them both away, helping Keith to remove his helmet with an unusually sober expression beneath the mask. "You need some air," he murmured, and then, after a pause, "...Did you know?"

Keith managed to shake his head, and the sober expression turned even more sympathetic as Fire Emblem rested a hand on his shoulder for a moment, staying at his side for a little while.

But there was still a situation to deal with, and if Fire Emblem's powers were relatively useless when it came to _putting out_ a fire, he was still a trained hero, useful on the scene. He had things to do. Keith could do nothing but sit, dazed, on Yuri's lawn and watch as the ruined house smoldered. It didn't seem real. He didn't understand how this could have happened, how it was possible. ...How he hadn't seen it before. Was Yuri that good at hiding it? Or had he just been so infatuated that he had missed the evidence...?

He was so in love that he didn't even care that Yuri had been keeping such a secret, that _he_ was the one who had put Keith through all of the unpleasant memories and unwanted realizations. He had felt that sense of kinship and understanding with Lunatic, and now it all made sense - he didn't find it unnerving any longer to think that he could have felt such things towards a vigilante who killed without mercy. Not now that he knew where it came from. He understood what Lunatic had been trying to do, and even if it wasn't what Keith wanted him to do, it had still been done thinking of him. He understood all of it.

But now it was too late.

There were paramedics on the scene, but they had had nothing to do aside from looking over Yuri's mother - and then Keith, who hadn't had any serious damage done before he had been pulled from the house, but was emotionally a mess, curling his knees against his chest and breaking down, right there on the lawn. There was nothing they could do for him either, aside from escorting him back to the ambulance where he could drink some water and try, with limited success, to pull himself together. On the surface, he might have done a passable job, but his mind was scattered, not wanting to acknowledge any of it, insisting that there had to have been something he could have done, that there must be something he could _still_ do to fix it...

"...Keith?"

Mrs. Petrov had been made to lie down and wrapped in blankets, taken inside the ambulance Keith presently sat on the back bumper of. Her voice was soft and weak, but it was enough to make Keith turn his head to see her peering at him.

"You're Keith," she said, still shaky but just a little brighter. "I remember you - you're Yuri's friend..."

Did she know? If she didn't, or if she did but her mind was blocking out the knowledge, the way she sometimes blocked out her husband's death, Keith didn't want to tell her. "Yes," he replied, turning to climb inside, to sit at her side. "I'm his friend."

"Yes, yes," she murmured, reaching out to him, and Keith took her hand. It was cold, and he held it tight as she went on. "He gave me something for you, dear."

"...He did?" Keith felt a chill; he wasn't sure whether to be hopeful or wary.

"He told me you would be by," she continued, sounding nonchalant. Keith was certain now that she didn't know what had just happened, and he thought he might even envy her. "Yes, he gave me an envelope, and asked me to keep it safe until it could be given to you."

"An envelope?" Keith glanced around.

"I put it in the pocket in the side of my chair," she told him. "No one ever thinks to look at my chair. It should be right there where I left it, go on..."

For a moment, Keith hesitated. No matter what was in the envelope, it wouldn't change what had happened, and he wasn't sure he could deal with anything else Yuri might have left for him at the moment. He didn't want to know or feel the things he already knew and felt - how could he stand to know or feel more?

...But then, it was Yuri. It was all he had left of Yuri, the last thing he would ever see or hear from Yuri. That realization too made him hesitate again, his eyes filling with tears - he didn't want it to be over.

But the envelope was, as Mrs. Petrov had said, in a pocket on the side of the wheelchair sitting just outside the ambulance. No one was watching, everyone's attention on the firefighting efforts, as Keith retrieved it swiftly and returned to her side, slipping it beneath Sky High's long coat.

"That's right, dear," Mrs. Petrov murmured, closing her eyes. "He'll be so glad to know that you came by. He doesn't make friends easily, my Yuri..."

Keith nodded. "I know. But he has me," he told her. "He'll always have me."

She smiled up at him. "Such a kind boy, Keith..."

Keith nodded slightly, patting her hand. "...Your son, too. One of the kindest people I've known." In his own way, given what he'd been through... even if the rest of the world might not have recognized Yuri's kindness for what it was, Keith did.

And he was going to start crying again. Keith stepped out of the ambulance, and managed to inform the paramedics he was leaving - they were closest, and could pass the word on to the HeroTV staff - before he took off into the night sky, where he could be alone. Alone wasn't what he wanted, but he couldn't be with Yuri. Considering the way that knowledge made him feel, alone was the next best option for the time being.

Or perhaps not; when he arrived at his apartment, he was immediately greeted by John shoving his nose under his hand, demanding attention. Keith's hand slipped back to pet him, to scratch between the ears, without conscious thought - and he sank to his knees, finally giving in to all the misery and frustration as he buried his face in John's soft fur and cried until he couldn't breathe. Still, his hands kept working, finding all the places John liked to be rubbed and scratched - the movements were routine, familiar, and gave him some small feeling of normalcy, even if everything else was completely wrong. He willed it to be some kind of a nightmare, a hallucination, _anything_ , if it meant that it hadn't really happened. If only he could somehow see Yuri again, even as Lunatic. He would have done anything.

But John's nose was cold and real where he nuzzled against Keith's ear in concern, and Keith was still wearing the coat and the jet pack, and there was still an envelope in his pocket, reasserting itself with the crinkling sound when he managed to calm down enough to sit back. It was such a small thing, given all that had happened, that he had somehow forgotten already, and he pulled it out to see his name written on it, in the same elegant handwriting from the note that had been left on his refrigerator. The thought made his eyes overflow again. Only that morning, Yuri had been getting up, leaving him asleep in the bed they'd shared, writing a note to him.

John was sitting there with his head cocked, his dark eyes regarding Keith with a puzzled look, no doubt wondering why he had stopped. John had always been enough company for Keith before, enough to keep his apartment from feeling lonely...

...Keith wasn't ready to deal with whatever was in the envelope anyway, and set it aside as he went back to petting John. It was all he remembered how to do.

\---

He opened the envelope eventually, of course. The next day he ignored the ringing of the phone in favor of lying on the couch, looking at a dark television screen because he couldn't bear the news, or the sight of fire and sound of sirens in a commercial, or the romantic nature of the movie the commercial had interrupted. Everywhere there was a reminder of what he'd lost, and he couldn't see past them to what was left of the world. He couldn't even force himself to get up long enough to eat, or to go for a walk with John. He just lay there, holding the envelope in his hand just as he had when he'd fallen asleep, feeling it there but not actually looking. Every time he did, he wound up crying again, and he wasn't sure he would ever stop.

But if that were true, then he would never be ready to open the envelope anyway. That evening he brushed his hand over his eyes, managed to sit up, and held it there before him, acknowledging it, readying himself. After a while, he could stick a shaking finger under the flap, and after a while longer, he could unfold the paper within.

Drained and dehydrated and malnourished, his eyes lingered distractedly on Yuri's handwriting - something he had seen only rarely, in intimate moments like the notes left for one another, or the signature on a card - rather than the content of the letter. But eventually he began to read, and kept reading. And turned the paper over to examine the other side, then turned it back, and read it through again, and again. He could imagine Yuri sitting in his office, writing the words with that expressionless expression, the kind he wore when so much was going on beneath the surface. He could almost imagine Yuri's voice speaking the words, sometimes with the echo of Lunatic's mask. ...How had he not realized it earlier, before it was too late?

But if he had realized, what would he have done differently?

Keith wasn't sure, and that was one final hurt that Lunatic had managed to inflict on him... but as he'd told Yuri before, he couldn't hate Lunatic. Especially now that he knew who had been behind the mask, and what his intentions had been.

And to prove it, Yuri had done him one last kindness. Yuri admitted that he hadn't been sure if it was a kindness himself, and Keith wasn't sure what he intended to do with it, if anything - but he was certain that it _had_ been a kindness. Unquestionably, unlike those that Lunatic had attempted on his behalf.

Perhaps after everything calmed down, he told himself. Though he couldn't imagine ever moving past that moment, he had thought the same years before, and yet life had gone on.

He reminded himself of that repeatedly, as he refolded the letter and returned it to the envelope, taking a little longer to just... hold it. Life had gone on. Life always went on, as long as one kept living. Life would go on... someday. Or so he tried to convince himself.

John waited patiently, curled up at his feet.


	15. Chapter 15

It was nearly two months later before Keith felt he could make use of Yuri's final gift to him. Not only had he been unexpectedly busy with other matters, not only was he uncertain that he was emotionally ready - but his job had provided him with even more uncertainty - and _that_ uncertainty needed to be addressed right away.

Dear Keith,  
Let me begin by answering what must be the most obvious and least personal question at this time: Yes, it was me all along. I have been using the guise of Lunatic to ensure true punishment for the guilty for approximately two years now. I have left another, more public farewell note with a signed confession in my office; they will surely find it during their investigation. In it, I have listed the names of everyone Lunatic has executed, including those that had not been found to attribute to Lunatic, as well as the time and date of their demise. It would not do for anyone but myself to be blamed for any of Lunatic's actions.

That was like both the Yuri that Keith knew and the Lunatic that he thought he'd been coming to know. Though Lunatic's killings were justified in his own eyes, Yuri was not a man who would allow anyone to be harmed unjustly. As he had predicted, the note was found quickly - and of course, it kicked off a huge scandal.

However, you are far more to me than a hero, a mere tool of law enforcement. I am writing this letter to you alone, because you deserve more than the most basic of details. You deserve an explanation. You are free to share as much of this as you like, or none of it, with anyone you choose.

Given the magnitude of discovering that Lunatic had been in the midst of the Justice Bureau all along, it couldn't have remained a secret that Yuri and Keith had been romantically involved, or that Lunatic's most recent killings had been connected to him. For once, Ms. Joubert had used her position and influence to keep that part _out_ of the public eye, for which Keith was grateful - but internally, he had to be questioned about what he had known, and when, and why he had done certain things that he had done. It took exhausting days of repeating that he hadn't known a thing, the testimony of several witnesses among the HeroTV staff, recordings acquired from the HeroTV communications channels, and a polygraph test before the Bureau was satisfied. Tiring and miserable as the experience was, Keith didn't resent it. He understood completely. They had to be absolutely certain that he hadn't gone rogue himself, and had no intention of doing so.

Despite our differing morals, Keith, my intention was never to change yours, or to make you doubt your role as a hero. As Sky High, you are a great asset to the city of Sternbild, though I have believed for a long time that the heroes, like the laws, could stand to go further. My intention was only to secure justice for the guilty, nothing more - and neither have you changed my moral beliefs, or caused me to doubt my own role. Those who do wrong must be punished, and punishment must be consistent. This is why I must take my own life, though I know it will cause you further distress. I had determined that those who have hurt you must perish. I had hurt you. Therefore I must perish. It is that simple. Though I prefer to weigh evidence in each individual case, even our flawed legal system recognizes the necessity of equal sentencing for equal crimes. 

Again, I am not convinced that the heroes' way is more just than my own - as the method of my own self-inflicted justice may suggest. But I have faith in you - you, Keith Goodman - to determine what is right, and to follow whatever path you come to believe in.

...And while Keith had no intention of following in Lunatic's footsteps and becoming an executioner, he _did_ have many questions he was asking himself, after all that he'd seen and thought and felt. Lunatic _had_ caused him to lose faith in his own judgment, in whether or not he had the moral capacity to be a hero.

All the questioning that he had undergone had given him time to think, and at times had even forced him to find answers, for some of the questions the Justice Bureau were asking were questions he was asking himself. But then again, after they were finished with him and he was cleared to return to duty as Sky High, it occurred to him - there were some questions he was asking himself that the Justice Bureau had never asked at all. They'd asked him about things he'd done, or seen, or said - but they hadn't asked him how he _felt_ about what Lunatic had been doing.

Meanwhile, Keith hadn't seen the other heroes while he was away being questioned - and he was aware that they had all been questioned to some degree too, since they'd all had contact with Yuri over the course of their job - but they all knew now that he and Yuri had been close, at the very least. He didn't doubt that they had more questions, and even those who thought better of asking would probably be sympathetic, trying to help. He kept his distance, training early in the morning or late at night when few others would be present. It was nice that they tried, but in this case, Keith just didn't want any attention drawn to himself, or his mistake, or his loss. Especially while he still wasn't certain that he should go on being a hero.

...But then again, he had nothing else in mind to do. The first time they were called out after his reinstatement, he saved three hostages without thinking. He only remembered his doubts later, when the other heroes and the staff surrounded him, telling him how glad they were to have him back. Ivan pointed out that with Wild Tiger and Barnaby retired and Sky High out of service, Blue Rose had been the only hero remaining from the former top four during the last few weeks, and she was exhausted - and Keith's sudden remorse over that was more pointed than his indecision. And besides, he thought later, lying in his bed and staring up at the ceiling - did it matter to those hostages whether or not he'd mourned the death of someone who had hurt him? Or that he mourned the man who had killed them far more?

The internal struggle Lunatic had planted in him might continue forever, he acknowledged. But no matter the eventual outcome, in the meantime he was still able to save people who were in danger. There was no reason for him not to continue being a hero. He took up his patrols again the next night.

He couldn't help but look for a flicker of blue flame in the distance every time - with anticipation now, not dread.

I imagine it will do no good if I tell you not to doubt, but if you believe only one thing I have ever told you - I love you, Keith. I truly love you, and I have loved you honestly. And therein lies the problem, does it not? Both of us have so much of ourselves that we've hidden away, weak points exposed at last only to one another. As much as I feared my own vulnerability, I feared you becoming vulnerable before me. I am aware that some consider Lunatic frightening, despite my determination that only those who have done wrong should have need to fear him. I will not deny that I have been a dangerous individual, capable of causing great damage through words as well as actions, simply due to an analytical mind and the firm, impersonal demeanor that being a judge requires. And just as the danger rises as one nears the flames, the possibility of damage grows as we grow closer to one another. Tactlessness or even hostility from a stranger might be shrugged off, but no one can hurt you like someone you love, can they?

When it came down to it, Keith didn't regret anything except not understanding sooner. If he had determined who Lunatic was, and that he was so close, surely he could have done something. Surely he could have found a way to resolve the situation that would have prevented at least a few of the killings - and definitely a way to keep Yuri alive. In prison, no doubt, but still alive. He could still have seen Yuri, and talked to Yuri... if Yuri was still willing to talk to him, which he might not have been. 

But then again, he'd known all along that Keith was a hero. In a way, Yuri had more to fear from Keith than Keith had to fear from Yuri, but he had still been willing to try, and he had worried for Keith rather than himself. That was enough to tell Keith that Yuri really, truly had loved him.

Even knowing what Yuri had been, and what he had done, Keith still loved him just the same.

I am very sorry for having to inflict this last painful event on you, but I can promise that there will be no more from my hand. It also occurred to me that there was something I might do to give you some measure of peace in the days to follow; however, I have clearly made miscalculations already, and I may be making another to assume that you would find it comforting. It is entirely up to you to act, if you so wish.

Though Keith hadn't been sure at first, the possibility had been raised, and... as the raw pain of Yuri's death began to ease into a long string of empty, unhappy days, Keith couldn't help but remember another time, years ago, when his days had been empty and unhappy. There was someone who had provided him with brief respites, who had welcomed him into her home, despite what she herself was enduring.

I have found the address of a Ms. Jeanette Jacobs, with whom I believe you were once acquainted. Her life seems, from all indications, to have improved considerably since the time you last spoke - but if you're interested, you might ask her for details yourself. I have written her contact information on the back of this paper.

It had taken some time, even after Keith had decided that he did want to get in touch, before he had worked up the courage to call the number Yuri had provided. He'd spent several minutes sitting on the couch, passing the phone and Yuri's note restlessly from hand to hand, and finally dialed.

And her daughter had answered. She had a young daughter, and a husband who loved her, he learned when she came to the phone. And she was incredibly glad to hear from him - she'd been unable to maintain contact after he'd been placed in foster care, thanks to the way the Holtz household had treated their children, and she'd wondered for the rest of her life where he'd wound up.

When she asked what he was doing, if he was happy, Keith didn't know what to say, except that he was happy that he had found her, and to hear that she was happy.

She asked if he would stop by, and he said that he would - but it might take a little while before he found the time. He had some things that he was in the middle of dealing with that required... rather a lot of his attention.

I do hope that finding your Ms. Jeanette will bring you some comfort in the days to come, and I know that John will remain a good companion for you regardless. Though I am gone, you will not be alone.

That had wound up being more true than Yuri had likely expected. Though Keith wasn't sure, considering how easily Yuri had been able to predict his actions up until that point. Possibly, given the manner of delivery he had chosen for his last words to Keith, he had planned something like it all along.

If so, it was the least Keith could do in his memory.

As for me, the last few months with you have been the happiest I have known. This likely does not come as a surprise to you - you saw how I live, and the fact that I had chosen to live in such a way does not make it less difficult. I believed that it was the best I could have hoped for, given the background from which I came. You showed me that my life could be far better, much happier, and for that (and many, many other things, too many to number) I must thank you, Keith.

There was an amount of irony, to be sure. Yuri's mother had been one of the factors that had made his life so difficult. But when things had calmed down, when he'd regained some of his emotional equilibrium, Keith had asked after her - where had she gone, how was she doing? He owed her a great debt for keeping Yuri's letter safe for him. The news that she had nowhere to go was not so surprising, but learning that she had been placed in a home... It may also not have been so surprising, but the tightness in Keith's chest when he confirmed it was unexpected.

Seeing her sitting motionless and dejected and gazing out a window, surrounded by more elderly patients who seemed not to notice their surroundings, had made his chest grow tighter still. Her face had brightened immediately upon his murmur of her name, looking up to see his face. "Keith... How nice of you to come by and visit me."

Mrs. Petrov's condition, it had seemed, was not so severe as most of the residents at the facility, her energy and engagement still mostly intact despite the troubles with her memory, which clearly persisted. "Has my Yuri come with you? It seems like so long since I've seen him..." Her face had fallen somewhat. "Why hasn't my Yuri come to visit me? He used to be such a good boy..."

There had been a tightness in Keith's throat as he tried to find a response. "I... I'm sure he would have come if he could," he'd said finally. "He's just... very busy."

"I suppose he is," Mrs. Petrov had murmured. "Yuri's always been such a hard worker. Even when he was a little boy... It's just that it's so lonely here. No one to talk to, no one to care for... I miss my home. And my... husband... and..."

Keith could see it dawning on her face this time, but unlike the first time, she hadn't grown angry or violent. She'd only started to tremble, and then cry. "...Yuri..." she moaned, covering her face with her hands. "I was so angry with him... I treated him so badly, I couldn't stop blaming him... but he was still my Yuri. Why didn't I realize, until he was gone...? He was still my dear Yuri..."

Seeing her crying over Yuri had made Keith's own shaky composure crumble, and he'd knelt before her chair, taking her hand. Now that the truth about Lunatic had become public knowledge, the two of them were quite possibly the only two people in Sternbild who would still cry for Yuri - and Keith didn't realize how much he'd needed to share his grief until suddenly he was sharing hers, assuring her that it wasn't her fault. That Yuri had understood - though he didn't say so, Keith knew Yuri must have understood, or he wouldn't have subjected himself to her verbal abuse for all those years, when he could have left at any time, or found another way to escape her outbursts.

Such as placing her in a home like that one. After spending some time quietly crying with her, listening to her talk about Yuri, promising he'd come back for another visit after she clung to his hand, Keith had taken a moment to compose himself and wash his face in the restroom before he went to question the staff. Although they agreed that in some senses she was far too cognizant and independent to have been admitted, it had seemed that there was no other choice. She had no known living relatives, with her son now deceased, to assist her; her delusions and mood swings had likely driven away any friends who might have checked in on her. Even if she could have lived alone with all her debilitating conditions and her frequent inability to recognize them, her home had been destroyed. She had no one to turn to, no other options.

His mind had been unable to leave the situation alone that night, or the possible solution that had occurred to him after dinner, as he was taking John for a walk. He'd thought it over for another couple of days, just to make certain that it wasn't a whim or a purely emotional urge... and then he'd showed up again at the home, with a bouquet of flowers and a slightly nervous smile.

She'd been overjoyed to see him again, to have a visitor again, and assured him he would have been welcome anytime even without bringing her gifts. She'd led him to a water fountain under her own power rather than being pushed, so that she could fill a plastic cup with water for the flowers. His smile had grown just a little more anxious, but a little more hopeful as well as he asked if she liked dogs.

"Oh, I love dogs," she'd said brightly as she filled the cup. "When I was a little girl, my family had a Doberman. Some of my friends were afraid of him, he was larger than we were and he barked loudly - but he was never anything but gentle with me, and so obedient..."

And that was when Keith had begun to think that maybe his idea wasn't so far-fetched after all.

A few weeks later, after sitting in on discussions of her available finances - her late husband had been quite wealthy, and Yuri had done well for himself also - Keith was helping to move her and get her settled into an apartment in the same building as his own, furnished for accessibility. Perhaps too much accessibility; allowing her to go out by herself might have been asking for trouble, but she did have a hero watching over her, checking in regularly.

Perhaps more than one. Keith still wasn't sure, but after hearing more of what she said about her husband during her memory lapses, he was starting to think he may have figured out how her husband had made his fortune. It was a disturbing thought, considering what Yuri had said about his father, but Keith couldn't be sure... and at this stage, it hardly mattered. To him, it didn't. 

Please don't feel any guilt over my death. I told you many times before that no one is responsible for Lunatic's actions but Lunatic himself. This is merely another of the executions he has deemed necessary. Meanwhile, I am satisfied with the conclusion of the life that I have lived, aside from the unhappiness I have brought to you in this. I only hope that the happiness you shared with Yuri Petrov outweighs the pain caused by Lunatic, and that once this has passed, your life will be as bright and hopeful as the life you showed to me, full of peace and joy.

Though Keith did eventually go to have lunch with Ms. Jeanette, and arranged to see her again, he still stopped in every day to check on Mrs. Petrov, often leaving John there in the morning before he went off to work; although John wasn't trained as a service dog, he was good company, and would no doubt be able to bring Keith to her if they went out and she became too confused to find her way home. She quickly became fond of John, and John of her; and she was always glad to see Keith, generally inviting him to join herself and her husband for some tea when he had a moment. Keith was willing to go along with it, because she was happy. She knew of his job, and encouraged him, because being a hero was something very few people could handle - she said she knew. It was a lot of pressure to be under, it exposed one to so much of the worst the world had to offer - and she was very proud of the heroes and all they managed to do for the city in spite of the challenges.

Sometimes Keith envied her the escape of her scattered memories. But then, if remembering the worst moments meant that he could remember all the good moments as well... perhaps Yuri was right. Perhaps the happiness had outweighed the pain. Perhaps he still believed in hope.

She asked him sometimes how Yuri was doing, and Keith just told her that Yuri was very busy working for the good of the people of Sternbild. "That's good," she would say. "That's just like my Yuri. He should take some time to visit his mother, but I'm glad he's doing well."

With all my love, to you alone, always,  
Yuri


End file.
